Forever Broke
by Kendra Luehr
Summary: Love. Lust. Blood. Tears. Betrayal. And so their hellish woes begin. AU SxF and VxOC in the year 2069. graphic limey content
1. The Savior

  
  
**A/N:** Hey! Not to be confused with Forever Broken, by Nirvana1, lol. I was reading through Bebop song names, & I chose Forever Broke, lol, so yeah, heh. -.-' I hope you enjoy it! It's basically the destruction of the alleged love triangle between Spike/Julia/Vicious, thanks entirely to Faye, mwuahaha. R&R, please! =D  
  
==============_Hello, there, the angel from my nightmare============================  
- "I Miss You" by blink-182_  
  


**CH 1**

"Ladies, you're on in five."  
  
Faye Valentine unceremoniously received this dreaded news with a heavy sigh, her implacably-manicured fingernails raking thoroughly throughout her silken violet tresses as she tried her best to make herself look the slightest bit presentable.  
  
_Ha. What a laugh.  
_   
What's the need to look your very best in front of a bunch of horny, drunken men whenever they don't even see you as a living being to begin with?  
  
To them, she was clearly just a tramp; an object to be toyed with. That's all she'd ever be.  
  
Touching up her make-up with a soft-bristled brush, Faye recoiled slightly the moment that a large hand come down roughly upon her small, slender shoulder.  
  
"Hey, baby," the familiar, gravelly voice greeted slyly from abaft.  
  
Faye couldn't help but shudder, demanding harshly through clenched teeth, "What do you want, Ferguson? I thought I told you to leave me alone when I'm working."  
  
The tall blonde grinned a toothy grin. "Have you already forgotten that I'm the one that gotcha this job to begin with? I could _just_ as easily have it taken away."  
  
"I fail to see the threat in that statement," Faye remarked dryly, her delicate features instantly hardening into a menacing look once Ferguson seized her by the throat and pulled her up and out of her chair like a rag doll.  
  
_"Now you listen to me, Faye,"_ he began, his lips drawn upward into a terrible snarl as he gave her a vicious shake, "I _own_ you! No matter where you go or where you are, you will _always_ belong to _me!_ If you ever forget that, so help me God, I will have you _killed!"  
  
_Faye let out a garbled cry the moment that he finally released his iron-like grasp about her neck, her breathing coming out in short, quick gasps as she dropped down to her knees and listened to Ferguson's heavy foot falls slowly fading away, her desire to give up and die right then and there so strong that it frightened her.  
  
Reaching up and touching her swollen neck, Faye suddenly realized that she sensed yet another presence within the dressing room.  
  
Warily glancing over to her side with severe reluctance, she then rested her terrified gaze upon a pair of hot pink show boots, only to suddenly break out into a large grin. _Darla.  
  
_"Are you ok?!," the tall, willowy woman shrieked, instantly helping her friend up and to her feet before spinning her around so that she could search her deep jade pools for answers. "What the hell did that sick sonofabitch do to you, _now?!_ I swear, Faye, one of these days I'm gonna go up to that man and-"  
  
"Do absolutely nothing," Faye cut in, her rigid stance clearly meaning business as she continued to bestow her friend with their mutual 'warning glare'. "This is _my_ battle to fight, and mine alone. You should know by now that Ferguson isn't just any run of the mill guy that you can mess with. Remember Judy? He _killed_ her, Darla! He had her murdered because she wanted to quit the business!"  
  
Darla snorted, clearly unimpressed. "Judy was a stupid blonde with boobs for brains....of _course_ she was killed! She couldn't save herself even if she _wanted_ to!"  
  
"But that's not the_ point!,"_ Faye insisted shrilly. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me! I'd _never_ be able to forgive myself!"  
  
Darla's irate features suddenly softened, her silver irises shimmering with unshed tears as she swept back a lock of her hunter green, bobbed hair in utter exasperation, finally managing to return softly, "It still seems so weird to think that you're even my friend, Faye. I mean, I-I'm a _lowlife!_ No one ever looks out for the scum on the bottoms of their friggin' shoes, let alone even bothers to give us a second glance! I'm _tired_ of living in shame! That's why I wanna help you escape, Faye.....so we can be _free."  
  
_"LADIES!," an exasperated voice grated from behind, thus causing them both to whirl around in an instant of sheer panic. "You are on, _NOW! _Go, go, _GO!!!"  
_   
Letting out alarmed shrieks, Faye and Darla hurriedly rushed over to the left wing of the stage and joined up with the other girls, truly hoping that they hadn't missed their cue due to the beating that they would receive if they had.  
=============================================================  
Now dressed in her normal street atire, Faye wearily slipped into a shabby overcoat and sighed, her heart bleeding tears of crimson as she pocketed the bountiful tips that she had just earned from her customers and slipped through the back door and out into the cool night air of Tharsis.  
  
It was beautiful here; there was no doubt in her mind about that. The only things that stained the rapidly growing city were the ever popular strip joints, brothels, and pornographic shops.  
  
Faye knew very well that she wasn't a virgin (not by choice, of course), yet she couldn't help but feel as if she didn't belong in such a lewd, corrupt world. She longed for freedom....for something _more.  
  
_She often heard from many stragglers along the streets that Mars was a wonderful place filled with opportunity and good fortune for its rich inhabitants. From the Martian cities to the rouge skies, it was pure Heaven.   
  
_Oh, _how she longed to go there. However, first thing was first; she needed the money. Why else would she have become a dancer? Oh, right....the _debts.  
  
_Sad to say, Faye was always in way over her head when it came to doing the right thing. Upon her very first warning from the ISSP that she had a whole lot of woolongs to fork up, she had immediately packed her bags and fled her hometown in search of someplace where she would hopefully never be discovered. And yet, she _had_ been found. By a Mr. Ferguson Gaines, to be exact.  
  
Upon their meeting, it was quite obvious that the hulky man took an immediate liking to Faye, but she, being the currently young naive girl that she was, had taken absolutely no notice to the blondes sudden affections. Before she knew it, Ferguson had offered her a job that paid rather nicely and Faye had accepted without any further questions.  
  
This explained why she had no choice but to stay and work as a dancer, but why here? Why a strip club? To be perfectly honest, even Faye, herself, didn't know the answer.   
  
She had always wanted, strangely enough, to be a rock star so that she could experience the thrill of long, wild hair, unruly fans, and crazy parties that lasted well into the morning. Most likely what drew her to the profession the most, however, was the simple fact that it had more freedom than she knew what to do with.  
  
Faye was clearly all about adventure, yet adventure clearly wasn't all about Faye. No matter what she did, all signs pointed to a dead end, and she was damn tired of it. She wanted out; she needed release.  
  
Reaching into the small breast pocket of her coat, Faye retrieved a desperately-needed cigarette and fumbled with it before bringing the long white cylinder up to her lips, her hands patting her pockets in search of a lighter before a slight noise from abaft caused her to cease in all actions and freeze.  
  
_"Goin' somewhere?"  
  
_Faye snorted, then opened her mouth to reply, only to instantly be cut short the moment that two strong arms coiled their way about her neck like wire, a tiny switchblade now pressed threateningly against her cheek as she let out a frightened yelp and released her cigarette from her clenched teeth and to the ground with a subtle plop.  
  
Just when she thought it was all going to be over, a deep, sultry voice scolded mockingly from behind, _"Tut, tut, tut. _Hasn't anyone ever taught you how to treat a lady?"  
  
Faye gasped as her captor suddenly released his strong hold about her neck and pushed her forward into an overturned garbage can, her eyes wide and filled to the brim with utter consternation as she watched him charge her savior like a crook on a murderous rampage.  
  
Fearing for the worst, Faye anxiously awaited for the mossy-haired man to be torn to pieces but was, to her utter surprise, completely astonished to find that he had ducked to the side with the fluidity of water, the other man crashing headfirst to the ground in a heap of outrage and bulging muscle.  
  
Gradually hauling himself up and to his feet, the hulky man charged his offender once more, only to immediately receive a nice kick to the temple, his neck snapping upon contact due to the force of the strong impingement with a sickening pop.  
  
Absolutely horrified by all of this, Faye watched on in awe as the man dropped down limply to the ground like a deadweight, all of his vital signs of life now completely diminished as the mossy-haired man took a tentative step forward and nudged the corpse with the tip of his blue dress shoe.  
  
"Who-who are you?," Faye spluttered, her tiny hands grasping the hem of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white. "Why did you save me?"  
  
The mossy-haired man bestowed her with a crooked smile, his sensual voice sending shivers down her spine as he conceded teasingly, "I dunno...guess I just needed a nice work-out and you, currently in danger, provided quite an excellent little game for me to endure."  
  
Faye frowned deeply. "I hope you're not trying to suggest that _I'm_ the game, Mr**.**..."  
  
"Oh, right," the mossy-haired man cut in, chuckling at his own forgetfulness, "you wanted to know my name. It's Spike Spiegel, Miss _Faye Valentine."_  
  
She gasped, now terribly frightened to her wits end. Staggering backward onto her feet on shaky legs, she demanded coolly, "How the hell do you know my name?! Who are you working for....the ISSP?!"  
  
Spike laughed as if he had just heard a wonderful joke, recovering smoothly, "I saw you in the club, Miss Valentine. I was sent there by a friend to pay my respects to a Miss Grisholm."  
  
"You mean Darla?," Faye squeaked, becoming more and more flabberghasted.  
  
"Yeah," he acknowledged, shrugging, "my friend's sweet on her. Not that it's any of your business, of course."  
  
Faye knew that it damn well _was_ her business, but held her tongue, truly not wanting to get on this gangly, handsome young man's bad side for fear of his kicking her ass just as he had done so to her assailant.   
  
Suddenly realizing that she was bleeding, Faye brought her long, slender fingers up to the stinging wound upon her neck, only to have Spike immediately remove her appendages from the minor injury in order for inspection.  
  
"You need medical treatement," he observed softly, much to Faye's vast displeasure. "Let me take you somewhere safe to get help."  
  
Faye raised an eyebrow in utter consternation. "W-what, like a hospital?!"  
  
"Hell, no," Spike denied, grinning a knowing grin before gently gathering her up into his arms, "it's somewhere that even my closest associates don't know about. I can already tell by our brief meeting that you're in some sort of trouble with the law, so don't worry, Faye....you're safe with me."  
  
Looking up at the strong, beautifully-carved features of her savior's face, Faye tried her best not to let out a contented sigh as she realized, in utmost elation, that this strange occurance of events could possibly be the beginning of the chance that she had been praying for; the chance to finally be _free.  
  
****_A/N: There ya go! I assure you that it gets MUCH more interesting in later chapters, lol, so please tell me what you think! Luv ya bunches!  
3 Kendra Luehr


	2. A New Member of the Syndicate

**A/N:** Hallooooo! Thanks SO much for the awesome reviews! D I'm truly surprised that the 1st chapter was so well-received, so...THANKS!

_So follow the leader down, and swallow your pride and drown_ _Unwritten Law: "Seein' Red"_

It was a mournful ballad that finally broke Faye free of the shackles that the depths of repose had enslaved her with, her incredible jade eyes fluttering slightly open before casting over towards the direction of the petite figure that was clearly emanating the haunting tune.

Blinking as if to rid the sleep from her weary eyes, Faye watched on in mild fascination as the lovely blonde woman continued to hum the hypnotic melody, every now and then leafing through to the next page of the brown book that she held possessively within her grasp before suddenly pausing, now receiving the unsettling feeling that she was being watched.  
Turning her head so that her cerulean blue orbs were now locked with Faye's jade ones, the woman gave her a look full of utmost curiosity, then set her book down upon a nearby table, acknowledging aloud, "Oh...so you're finally awake. I was beginning to think that you wouldn't pull through, but Spike kept insisting that you were a fighter. Guess he was right, after all."

Faye's brilliant eyes widened in utmost disbelief. _Spike?_ Oh, right...her savior.

"Where is he?", she suddenly demanded, her voice tarnished with a gravelly undertone due to having overslept.

The blonde gave her a questioning glare, then elevated one shoulder in a dismissive shrug. "Out with Vicious, I suppose...they had something to take care of."_  
_

_"Vicious?",_ Faye reiterated, much to the blonde woman's immense displeasure. "Who's he?"

_"Oh,_ I wish that you weren't so full of so many damned questions!", she spat, thus causing Faye to cringe in absolute astonishment. "I don't know _why_ Spike decided to bring in an outsider because it only..."

She faltered. "Oh...I'm sorry," she finally managed to apologize, letting out a heavy sigh before meekly brushing back one of her honey-colored locks. "I suppose that we should get off on the right foot, if any at all. I'm Julia...and you're Faye, correct?"

She nodded, indicating that this was true.

_"Faye,"_ Julia repeated softly, her blue eyes flashing slightly as she seemed to test the name upon her tongue in order to discover the hidden poison within.

Seemingly finding nothing, the dubious blonde rose from her perch upon her chair and gracefully moved, no, _floated_ across the floor and over to the door before pausing and looking back towards her new acquaintence with something clearly on her mind.

Deciding to finally come clean, Julia turned back around so that the violet-haired woman in her bed could no longer see her face, her silken voice firm and crisp as she ventured softly, "Oh, and Faye, next time you see Spike..._stay away from him."  
_

Faye's eyes widened upon hearing such a straightforward remark, a sudden wave of sheer indignance washing over her being from head-to-toe as she watched the blonde haughtily egress the room and slam the door shut tightly from abaft.

_"How **dare** she!",_ Faye fumed inwardly, absolutely outraged that she already felt threatened in this alleged 'safe place'. _"Why does Julia feel the need to keep me away from Spike? Is he dangerous, or does she actually think that I'm interested in taking him away from her! **Ugh**!"  
_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Evelyn...get _down!"  
_

The young woman grunted, her long, auburn braids swishing about her slender shoulders as she dove off to the side behind a trash can for cover, her violet irises flashing dangerously before she unpinned a hand grenade and tossed it towards the oncoming brigade of Black Scorpions amidst a fiery shower of death and destruction.

Swearing brusquely under his breath, Spike inserted a magazine into his firearm and nodded over towards Vicious, both men instantly aiding their comrade by charging the opposing syndicate and firing shot after shot into each of their awaiting victims.

"Evey!", Spike finally managed to holler over the ammunition, "are you hurt? I can't see you!"

"No, I'm not, and there's no fucking way that I'm leaving you and Vicious behind, if _that's_ what you're trying to get me to do!", Evelyn returned defiantly, her freshly injured shoulder throbbing dangerously as she continued to take down man after man with her small firearm.

Spike grunted due to her mulish response, cursing sourly under his breath, "Stupid bitch...she could cost us our battle!"

"Let her be, Spike," Vicious urged softly from abaft in his hauntingly soothing tone, his countenance completely devoid of all emotion as he shot down the last man standing. _"We just won."  
_

Spike couldn't help but let out a relieved spasm of laughter at this sudden outcome, his shoulders sagging forward as Evelyn gave him an indignant push from behind, his slim form sprawling forward in an uneasy stagger that resulted in a not-so-graceful landing.

Trying her best not to smirk at this, Evelyn chided rather irritably, "Stop your nonsense, Spike...we've got far more hell to deal with when we get back to the headquarters than _this._ If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Mao's actually going to let that mynx join the syndicate."

Spike gave her an interested look. _"What?_ But I thought that Mao-"

"Hated outsiders," Evelyn cut in, nodding. "Yeah, I thought so, too, but from what little I saw, they seemed to be getting along very well, considering her shitty background."

"Meaning _what,_ exactly? Vicious demanded, just deciding to enter the conversation.

Evelyn couldn't help but smirk, the scorn that she clearly felt for the newcomer reflecting deep within the tremors of her lilting voice as she returned smugly, "She's a dancer, and I _don't_ mean the kind that wears a tutu and flits across a stage like a bird with its rear end on fire."

Vicious frowned. "We have no right to judge her, Evey. After all, it's been _quite_ a while since you've last had _your_ halo and wings."

Evelyn didn't deny it, her face losing its slight glow within the shadow of the setting sun as she desperately tried to banish all of her completely unwelcome childhood memories.

The sad truth of it all was that she had been a bastard child and, being the completely unloving mother that Mrs. Faulkner had been, she had immediately sold Evelyn to Mao Yenrai for a fitting price.

Evelyn hated Mao with all her tattered heart. Ever since she was old enough to walk and talk, he had sold her back and forth for minor prostitution with the hopes of gaining some sort of profit.

No matter what, Evelyn was determined that she would get back at her mentor, even if that meant forever damning herself in the process.

"Evey?"

She didn't look up.

"Evey," Vicious tried again, "come on, we're leaving."

Evelyn finally met with his cold gaze, then nodded stiffly, her heart heavy and seemingly laden with lead as she followed her comrades towards their unforeseen fates.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Goddamn, Spike-O, you did it, _again!"  
_

The mossy-haired man just merely smirked in triumph, his lean, muscular arm lifting up his shot glass as a small salute to his awe-struck crowd.

Evelyn spat her cigarette onto the floor, then ground it with the steel toe of her boot as Spike signalled for her to rack up the pool balls for round two, all of the men within the bar paying special homage to her firm, rotund bottom as she leaned over the pool table and grudgingly did as she was told.

"You think he'll pocket 'em all, again?", a brusque voice questioned from somewhere within the crowd.

"Not a chance," Vicious answered teasefully, sending his comrade a smug look as Julia wound her arms about his slender waist and held on tight.

Spike smirked, as well, his cigarette dangling precariously between his thin lips as he leaned against his pool stick with his right ankle crossed over his left, acknowledging hubristically, "I'm willing to take that challenge."

There were a few murmurs of appreciation from the small audience as Vicious grinned, then placed a thousand woolongs onto the table. _"Deal."  
_

"Any room for another player?"

The entire room went dead silent the moment that that silken voice resonated throughout the room like a knife through butter, the only sound now being the strains of the jazzy music coming from the beat-up jukebox in the corner.

"Hello, Faye," Spike greeted emotionlessly, his garnet eyes never leaving her jade ones as she seductively sidled on up to the pool table and leaned across the edge of it while sending him one of her winning smiles. "How can we help you?"

"Well," she began, feigning weariness, "I _am_ awful tired from spending the day with Mao since he was teaching me the ropes. Maybe you could ease my troubled mind by allowing me a quick game of pool?"

Spike's eyes flickered over her suspiciously. "What do you _mean,_ teaching you the ropes?"

"Just what it sounds like, lunkhead. I'm a Red Dragon, now," Faye returned smugly, not even bothering to conceal her immense pride over hearing everyone within the room gasp.

"You're bullshitting me," Spike accused, absolutely disbelieving his ears.

"Nope," Faye insisted orgulously, "'fraid not."

"But-"

"How about that game of pool?", she interrupted, immediatley swiping Vicious' pool stick from his unsuspecting hand before returning over to the table with a sickening amount of pride.

Julia, meanwhile, was watching all of this with tremendous distaste, her cerulean blue irises absorbing the curious scene unfolding before her with a slight twinge of jealousy due to the mere fact that she had strictly forbidden Faye to go near Spike, and yet here the bombshell was, leaning over the pool table and giving him quite the eye-full.

A loud gasp of approval suddenly shot throughout the audience like a jolt of electricity amidst water, Julia frowning deeply once she realized that Faye had now pocketed all of the billiards except for the Crazy 8.

Leaning over the pool table and sensually wiggling her hips for the men behind her, Faye purposely took her time in lining up her shot, her pink tongue peeking slightly out of the corner of her mouth as she aimed, then fired.

_Clink.  
_

Everyone held their breath in anticipation as the white ball careened towards the Crazy 8, then struck it dead-on, the black sphere wobbling in an unsteady rotation before finally stopping at the edge of the pool table, teetered a bit, then slid effortlessly into the right hand pocket.

"I win..._game over,"_ Faye cooed sweetly, giving Spike a tremendously smug look as she leaned over the table in order to gather her winnings. "Better luck next time, _Gorgio."  
_

Spike snorted. "There won't _be_ a next time..._Romani."  
_

"Well, _poo!_ You're not a very fun sport, now, are you?"

Spike opened his mouth to reply, only to be immediately cut off the moment that

the complacent vixen continued, "Maybe I'll see you 'round, sometime..._bye-byyyye."  
_

With that said, Faye gave a small flick of the wrist as her good-bye, then sauntered off towards the dull exit of the bar, the frown that had adorned Spike's lips only moments before now fading slightly once he realized that she had left her jacket behind.

_"Better return it to her,"_ he thought, lifting it up cautiously within his grasp as if it contained some sort of disease. _"Hope she won't bitch at me for actually being **nice** for a change."  
_

Sending Spike a curious glance, Julia couldn't help but frown once she realized that he was going after Faye, her delicate heart crusting over with a sheet of ice as she realized, to her utmost chagrin, that he might very well be won over by the vixen's mysterious charms.

"Hey, uh...you left this at the bar."

Faye didn't even bother acknowledging the sensual voice that had called to her from behind, her legs immediately picking up the pace with the hopes of giving Spike the impression that she was a 'tough-assed, no nonsense' kind of girl.

"Excuse me," the mossy-haired man tried again, "I've got your jacket."

Faye finally stopped, her tone clipped and straight to the point as she returned dryly, "Well congratulations...do you want a prize, or something? I suppose that you _do,_ seeming that you seem to think that rescuing a jacket is _heroic."_

Spike couldn't help but grin at her curtness, his tone filled to the brim with amusement as he agreed smugly, "Yeah, I guess you're right...I _should_ get a prize. What do you have in mind, Miss Valentine?"

_"Pervert!",_ Faye spat, her jade eyes flashing dangerously as she seized her jacket from his outstretched hand and began to storm off as fast as her long, slender legs would carry her.

Spike just merely chuckled at the thrilling rise that he was getting out of her, cheerily calling after her retreating form, "If you'd like, you can give me my prize tomorrow so that you'll have had more time to make me something nice!"

Receiving only a shrill shriek of sheer enmity in response, Spike grinned, then placed an unlit cigarette between his lips, realizing that things were finally starting to get pretty interesting for him around here.

**A/N:** Just so you know, this fic will explain some things that happened in the series, like why Vicious killed Mao. Of course, they won't be the actual reasons, but who cares:P Spike/Faye will heat up soon enough, but I like to take my time with this sort of thing. After all, they are very difficult to capture while "in love", so I'll try my best to keep them in-character throughout the entire story. Now please be nice little buddy-buddies and review me! PLEASE? I'll love you forever! P Oh! And, before I forget, I actually wrote a NON-SxF! Wow! rotfl It's an Electra/Vicious, just cuz I thought it'd be cool. Please check it out! I'd like to know your opinion!  
-Kendra Luehr


	3. Bloody Eye and a Murder

  
  
A/N: Hey! Long time no write! LoL Word to the wise for Julia lovers...well...this fic won't be for you, eheh. -.-' I mean, I'm actually trying to keep her in-character, so she won't be bitchy, but you may not like the ending of this chapter, but those that hate her will, so enjoy! Oh, & of course R&R! It helps me know that I'm doing good/bad/in-between! Also makes me wanna continue faster! Oh, yeah, and I don't own ANY of these lyrics that I've used or Cowboy Bebop! DUH!!! I mean, I'm so poor that I eat the friggin' bell peppers WITHOUT beef!!!! lol...j/k, but still....  
  
_========================I don't know who to trust, no surprise============================  
  
Linkin Park: "From the Inside"  
_  
"Vicious, _please!_ Put that_ down!"  
_  
The silvery-haired man ignored his lover's frantic pleas and shot the vile of Bloody Eye into both of his awaiting irises, both pupils now decreasing tremendously in size before a large, maniacal grin spread across his lips and left him dangling from a string over the thin, limited line of his sanity.  
  
"Vicious, you _must _stop this!," Julia wailed, tears of pain and woe now streaming freely down along her alabaster-like cheeks as she clasped her hands over her heart and bowed her head in utter despair. "If you were wondering why our relationship is failing, _this_ is it! _This _is the reason why I can't sleep at night knowing that you're still taking those damned drugs! And for _what?_ Won't you tell me?!"  
  
Vicious regarded her with a sneer, then gave her a strenuous push that sent her sprawling backwards and into the small chair by the window, her blood-red lips immediately curling downward into a pained grimace as she regarded him with large, fearful eyes.  
  
"You stay away from me!," she warned, shrinking back against the wall as her lover unsteadily staggered towards her. "I mean it, Vicious! If you come near me, I'll-I'll _scream!"  
_  
The silvery-haired man didn't answer her, his obsidian pupils glinting dangerously within the barium lights of Julia's apartment as his breath came in long, uneven gasps that left him feeling rather delusional and light-headed.  
  
Doing the only think that Julia felt would help them both, she opened her mouth, then released a blood-curdling scream that surely could have not only awoken the living, but the dead, as well.  
  
Now able to speak once more, Vicious immediately rushed over to her and clamped a firm hand over her mouth, urging maliciously, "Shut up, you stupid wench! Do you want to get me caught?!"  
  
Julia quickly shook her head, and he relaxed.  
  
"Are you going to tell anybody about this?"  
  
Again, she shook her head.  
  
Vicious smiled, then, and released his hand over her mouth so that he could kiss her, a subtle shudder racking Julia's very body as she felt the iciness of her lover absorb within her flesh and trace down along her body like several freezing fingers.  
  
_BANG!_  
  
Letting out a cry of sheer consternation, Julia shrank back against the wall the moment that the door was suddenly shot open, a familiar figure immediately rushing into the room and poising his firearm before him with the full intention of pulling the trigger.  
  
_"Spike,"_ she gasped, her cerulean blue orbs locking with his russet-colored ones as she felt her heart dance at just the mere sight of him. "What are you-"  
  
"I heard a scream," he explained tersely, immediately fixing his troubled gaze over on Vicious. "Did you touch her?"  
  
The silvery-haired man smirked. "Well, now, that's a rather personal question, isn't it, Spike?"  
  
"Goddammit,_ answer_ me!!!"  
  
Completely unphased by his comrade's curtness, Vicious returned dryly, "No, Sherlock, I most certainly did_ not."  
_  
Turning his attention back over towards Julia, he questioned uncertainly, "Is this true?"  
  
She nodded. "Yes, it is. I-I merely saw a large spider on the floor, and...well...it just startled me, is all."  
  
"There," Vicious announced, "are you _satisfied?_ Julia is clearly 100% unscathed and as healthy as the come, so will you now kindly leave us _alone?"_  
  
Spike hesitated for a moment, then nodded, never removing his eyes from Julia's pleading gaze as he returned softly, "Yeah....I'll go, now. Goodnight."  
  
Vicious didn't even respond, a cold smirk forming along his thin lips as he watched his mossy-haired comrade egress the apartment and out into the caliginous shadows of the unknown.  
  
=================================================================================  
  
Spike allowed a soft sigh to escape his satin lips as he leaned his head back beneath the shower head, his eyes closing lazily while the water trickled down his bare backside in a torrential stream and swirled down into the depths of the tiny drain below.  
  
_"I have to get her off of my mind....this isn't right,"_ he scolded himself anxiously, images of Vicious' blonde beauty dancing throughout the cluttered bowels of his mind and making his stomach churn into a tight little knot. _"Julia doesn't belong to me, and yet she always seems to be pleading with her eyes to take her away from here.....to some place far away where we can actually be happy."  
_  
Letting out a snort due to having such ridiculous fantasies, Spike immediately turned and switched the water off before stepping out of the tub in all his glory and wrapping a towel snugly about his waist.  
  
"Better get a drink," he announced aloud to no one in particular, nodding at his reflection in the mirror as if to verify the fact. "That's the only way that I can get my mind off that broad, so why not?"  
  
=================================================================================  
  
_"Is this seat taken?"_  
  
Spike didn't even have to look at the vixen in order to know who it was, his right shoulder elevating in a careless shrug as he downed his whiskey and stood up, muttering something about women with attitude and how he should get going.  
  
"Oh, _c'mon,_ don't be such a wuss," Faye urged, instantly seizing him by the arm so that he couldn't take another step further. "We could have a drinking contest, or something.....for money, of course."  
  
Spike snorted. "Unlike _you,_ Faye Valentine, I happen to like keeping my dignity intact and don't jump at every friggin' opportunity to make a quick buck."  
  
Faye was clearly taken aback by this remark, but nonetheless decided to remain nonplussed and tightened her grip about his arm, ordering indignantly, "Sit _down."  
_  
_"Shrew,"_ Spike muttered, amazingly doing as he was told before taking out a cigarette and bringing the long white cylinder up to his lips.  
  
"Well aren't you going to offer _me_ one?," Faye demanded, giving him the sweetest, most seductive look that she could possibly muster. "After all, I do believe that it _is_ customary to give a woman whatever she wants."  
  
"Last time I checked, Faye, you weren't a woman," Spike remarked dryly, thus causing left eye to twitch dangerously.  
  
"What do you _mean,_ I'm not a woman, you asshole?!!"  
  
"Just what it sounds like....you're not a woman," he returned coolly, a cancerous cloud of silver now blanketing his face from view as he glanced over at her and regarded her shock with a smug smirk. "Trust me, Faye, you're more of a bitch than anything else."  
  
Faye, however, wasn't listening. She was far too busy studying the pair of two-toned irises that were peeking out at her from behind their silvery mask of carbon dioxide. They were so pained, and yet so....._beautiful.  
_  
Before she could stop herself, she had already uttered the unthinkable.  
  
"Your eyes.....they're two different colors."  
  
"Yeah, what of it?," Spike demanded through clenched teeth, his grip tightening about his shot glass to the point that it nearly shattered into a million pieces.  
  
"Uh, well," Faye began, floundering, "I-I just wanted to know why, I guess. I mean, is it a genetic thing?"  
  
Spike snorted, then immediately shot up from his bar stool, his eyes now ablaze like the fires of Hell, itself, as he stormed off in the direction of the exit hollering and cursing like a madman.  
  
Faye sat there watching this peculiar display in a state of absolute disbelief, her troubled mind reeling as she wondered what on earth could be linked with Spike's eyes to make him so terribly angry at just the mere mentioning of them.  
  
=================================================================================  
  
The blustery wind within the grungy streets of Tharsis blew throughout Faye's violet tresses as she pulled her thin, barely-there jacket closer about her being with the hopes of entrapping some warmth, Evelyn finally regarding her presence with a subtle nod of the head as she questioned casually, "Sooo, do ya like it here?"  
  
Faye felt the need to lie, yet she decided against it, returning softly, "To be perfectly honest, I really don't. I mean, it's not a_ thing_ like I was expecting."  
  
"Well what did you _think_ it'd be like?," Evelyn demanded, sending her a sharp glance. "It ain't all rainbows and butterflies, ya know!"  
  
Faye sighed."Yeah, I know....it-it's just that I was hoping to find adventure, yet all I've got now is exactly what I had back at the strip club: hundreds of creepy men ogling my body like it's some prize to be won."  
  
Evelyn suddenly fell silent, her eyes now masked by her fiery tresses as she shoved her hands into her trench coat pockets and let out a mournful whimper.  
  
Faye immediately raised an eyebrow at this off-the-wall reaction, questioning gently, "Hey......are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah...._peachy keen,"_ Evelyn snarled, absolutely refusing to discuss her shadowed past with a woman that she barely even knew.  
  
Deciding to shrug it off, Faye hurriedly changed the subject, announcing teasefully, "I've discovered that Spike's a major asshole.....how_ do_ you manage?"  
  
"Spike?," Evelyn questioned, now actually smiling, "Aw, he's great to work with.....major flirt, though. He and Vicious are the heart throbs of the syndicate."  
  
Faye rolled her eyes. "I haven't met Vicious yet, but if he's anything like Spike, he's a Gorgio, too."  
  
Evelyn laughed, then shook her head, insisting jovially, "Aw, c'mon, you know you think deep-down that Spike's a cutie! Every woman wants him.....especially Julia."  
  
Faye frowned. _"Julia?"_  
  
"Yeah....don't tell anyone, though, ok? It's a secret since she's still Vicious' girl."  
  
Faye's frown only deepend, her eyes narrowing slightly once she realized that this mysterious blonde had even more skeletons in her closet than originally anticipated.  
  
_"Holy shit!_ Faye......_look!"  
_  
Her head immediately snapped up at the announcement, only to see Evenlyn rushing over towards a crumpled figure blanketed in scarlet upon the sidewalk at top speed.  
  
"Hey...._wait!,"_ Faye urged, frantically tripping over her own two feet as she stumbled after her in a clumsy rush.  
  
Finally reaching them, she gasped, hurriedly dropping down to the figure's side as she then realized who it was. "Julia."  
  
"She's not breathing!," Evelyn wailed, a tremendous sob escaping her throat once she began to shakily check all of her vital signs. "Oh, my _God,_ there's blood _everywhere!"  
_  
Faye chose not to look, her pained gaze immediately traveling up towards the apartment windows where a shrouded figure instantly caught her eye.  
  
Once it realized that it had been spotted, the figure vanished amidst the darkness of the room as quickly as it had come, Faye frowning worriedly as she realized that the syndicate now had a murder on their hands.  
  
A/N: Welp, that's it! If you review I'll try my best to crank out another chapter! :P 


	4. Ed WHO?

**A/N:** Hey! Wow, it's been a while, huh? :P I hope you enjoy this chapter, cuz I sure enjoyed writing it! XD Please, PLEASE R&R!

_====Only in dreams, we see what it means, reach out our hands, hold onto hers, but when we wake it's all been erased, and so it seems, only in dreams====_

_-Weezer: "Only In Dreams"_

"Vicious! What's wrong?!"

The silvery-haired man staggered forward in response and fell into Evelyn's arms, her violet eyes widening in utter astonishment as a vile of Bloody Eye suddenly slipped forth from his fingers and rolled onto the floor with a subtle clatter.

"Oh, my God! I thought I told you to stop using those!," she exclaimed, immediately pulling the battered man into her apartment before shutting the door securely behind them. "What happened to you?! No lies, either!"

"Julia...," Vicious gasped, squeezing his eyes tightly shut, "where....where is she?"

Evelyn gave him a funny look, then bowed her head in utter despair, acknowledging softly, "She's dead, Vicious....someone killed her last night."

"Dead?"

"Yeah...that's right. No one knows who did it, either," she mumbled, sorrowfully placing a hand over her face before letting out a wretched sob. "Some bastard killed my best friend, Vicious! Some creep is out there right now not getting the punishment that they so sorely deserve!"

Vicious frowned deeply. "What are you trying to say, Evey?"

She gave him a fiery look, then snorted, returning as if it were perfectly obvious, "I'm going to find the sick sonofabitch and then I'm gonna hang him with his own guts, that's what! If you loved Julia as much as you've claimed to over the years, you'll help me find the killer!"

"I....I can't."

Evelyn gasped. "What?"

"I can't," Vicious reiterated, hurriedly moving away from her as if he had been burned. "You see, Evey....I-I'm the killer. I'm Julia's murderer."

Evelyn immediately shook her head wildly back and forth, denying frantically, "No! No! Don't defend the killer, Vicious...stop lying to me! How do you expect me to believe that someone I love is capable of harming those that he loves?!"

"Because I was under the influence of the drugs, Evey! Why can't you understand that?!," Vicious demanded, abruptly seizing her by the shoulders before giving her a strenuous shake. "Mao is going to find out about all of this, and when he does, he's going to have me killed!"

Evelyn suddenly burst into tears at this declaration, pleading brokenly, "Vicious, please! Stop tormenting me with your lies! They're not comforting me like you think they are, so please, for the love of God, stop!"

"I wish I were lying," he returned softly, immediately releasing his hold on the young woman before bestowing her with a sorrowful look. "I have to run, Evey.....I've got to get out of here before it's too late."

"Then take me with you!," she begged, throwing her arms frantically about his neck as if he were her only lifeline before sobbing fearfully into his shoulder. "I love you far too much to just let you go, Vicious! You're the only one who's stayed true to me in this damned syndicate! You're the only one who made me want to live when I was a prostitute, because I always knew that you wouldn't see me as a lowlife slag like everybody else!"

Vicious bowed his head as her confession suddenly sank in, his arms encircling about her slender waist as he insisted gently into her ear, "No, Evey.....your place is here with Spike and Faye. I'll return when Julia is long forgotten. Until then, I want you to wait for me. Will you do that?"

"You know that I will," Evelyn returned tearfully, stroking his long, silvery hair as she continued to weep piteously into the comfort of his shoulder. "Why do you have to leave, anyway? This isn't like you! Don't you normally fight your way through these things?! You always told me that I should never lose hope, so why are you being such a damned hypocrite?!!"

Vicious paused, then exhaled deeply through his nostrils, acknowledging softly, "You're right....I am being a hypocrite. I guess that I'm just scared, Evey. All my life I've been taught to kill, and now that I've harmed the only woman that I've ever really felt anything for, I feel so......empty. Maybe I should just go ahead and turn myself in."

"No!," Evelyn snapped, raising her chin as if she actually thought that her shorter height than his own was intimidating him. "We'll make up an alibi.....we'll say that you were with me at the time of the murder! Don't worry, Vicious, we'll get through this......together."

Vicious smiled, then, something that he rarely did in anyone's presence. Taking the fiery redhead in his arms amidst a sudden fit of desire, he suddenly pulled her in for a chaste kiss that she returned just as eagerly, his mind reeling as he felt Evelyn hurriedly take him by the hand and lead him boldly towards her bedroom where they immediately gave in to their lust.

=================================================================================

"I can't believe that I'm actually doing this," Faye thought to herself in utter disgust, pausing briefly before rapping against Spike's apartment door with her knuckles. "He's never been nice to me, so why should I be nice to him? Oh, well...Evey's orders. I guess that he really is pretty bent out of shape over this whole murder thingy, so the least I could do is check up on him."

Before Faye even had the chance to react, however, the door suddenly swung wide open, Spike's surprisingly haggard, miserable-looking countenance peering out at her with an obvious mask of sheer annoyance.

"What the hell do you want?"

"To come in," she returned firmly, trying her best to step around him. "Please move, Spike...I want to visit with you for a bit."

"No...go away."

"I said, move!," Faye snapped, jutting her chin outward as she stared him down with a fiery hatred. "What don't you get about the fact that I want to speak with you?!"

Letting out an animalistic growl, Spike seized her by the arm and hurriedly pulled her into his apartment before shutting the door tightly from behind them, returning hotly, "Alright, Faye, let's make this snappy! You woke me up from my already unfitful sleep, so this had better be important!"

Faye opened her mouth to speak, then immediately closed it, bowing her head forward in resignation as she admitted softly, "Well, I, uh....I just came to give you these cookies. I thought you might like them since....well..."

"Julia's dead?," Spike supplied sharply, the iciness in his tone sending shivers down her spine as she shook her head in denial.

"No...that's not it at all! I-I still owe you your prize for saving me, so...here you go."

Spike eyed her curiously, then reached out with reluctance to accept the small bundle of baked goods from her hand, his long, slender fingers gently brushing over her own before he seized them within his grasp and pulled them back into his possession.

"Uh...thanks," he mumbled, immediately averting his gaze from her own as he absently rolled the cookies about within his hand and managed to bestow her with a small smile. "You didn't have to do this, cuz-"

"I wanted to," Faye insisted, blushing slightly due to the surprised look upon his face. "You see, I feel that it's unhealthy for one's soul whenever they grieve without sustenance."

Spike frowned deeply. "I have no soul; it was stolen from me very long ago."

Faye blanched. "What?"

"Good-bye, Faye....thanks again for the grub," Spike muttered, immediately taking her by the shoulders and showing her out.

Frantically trying to understand what in the world was going on, Faye made several futile attempts at asking what he meant, but all she got in response was the door rudely slamming shut in her face.

"Great," she thought, trying her best to still the fiery need to murder Spike Spiegel with every fiber in her being. "I really don't get him....what does he mean when he says that he doesn't have a soul? What's happened to him to make him feel this way? Ugh, I'm so tired of trying to figure him out....I'll come back, later. As of now I need a nice, stiff drink."

=================================================================================

"Vicious, sweetheart....what are you doing?"

"Thinking," came the blunt reply, thus causing Evelyn to immediately sit up in bed and study the dark silhouette standing amidst the moonlight of the window.

"About what?"

He didn't answer.

Grunting in utter frustration, the concerned redhead hurriedly slid out of bed and joined her lover by the window, her long, willowy arms wrapping about his waist before she pressed her nude body against the stiff contours of his backside and heaved a gentle sigh.

"I can help you, you know," she insisted softly, caressing his clothed shoulders as she kissed the crook of his neck in utter adoration. "I found the knife that you used and hid it in the hollowed out pages of a book....I hope you don't mind."

Vicious bowed his head forward and shook his head, mumbling in defeat, "It's no use, Evey.....now that you're helping me, Mao will have you executed, as well."

"I don't care," Evelyn returned bodly, spinning him around so that he was now face-to-face with her determined countenance. "As long as I will always be side-by-side with the man that I love, I say so be it!"

Vicious bit his lip. She was so naive, and yet so incredibly brilliant at the same time. He couldn't believe that he hadn't fallen in love with her before Julia, for when he was with her, he actually felt safe and protected.

That was the major difference between them, he supposed. Evelyn would care for him and Julia would not. In fact, Julia would much rather have nothing to do with him if it required saving her own hide.

Banishing the thought from his mind as if it were some sort of poison, Vicious finally turned to face his lover and smiled, agreeing softly, "Alright...let's do it. Together."

=================================================================================

Spike heaved a blatant sigh as he continued to trudge along the practically barren streets of Tharsis, his shoulders hunched over and his hands shoved down deeply within the recesses of his pants' pockets like some laid-back deadbeat, which is truly what he felt like.

Ever since he had heard about Julia's murder, all he ever found himself doing was walking around the large city with the hopes of clearing the cluttered bowels of his tortured mind and soul.

This, of course, never really seemed to work, but he figured that it was far better than doing nothing at all.

So now, with a cigarette dangling precariously from his lips and his eyes half-closed, Spike found himself subconsciously approaching his favorite pit stop: The Lone Ranger Bar.

Faye apparently had had a similar idea in mind, for no sooner had he reached the door, the violet-haired bombshell, herself, was suddenly standing there right beside him.

"Hi, there....care to buy a lady a drink?," she cooed in a syrypy-sweet voice that definitely did not suit her appearance.

Stiffening on impulse, Spike sent her a sharp glance, admonishming sourly, "Need I remind you that I don't find you to be an actual lady, Faye? Women are delicate creatures, and you, by no means, are delicate."

"You'd be surprised at how delicate I can be, cowboy," Faye returned slyly, placing her hands on her hips before switching them over to the side in a single seductive motion. "And, for your information, I'm every bit of a woman as you are a man."

Spike frowned deeply. This woman was really getting on his nerves, and she most certainly wasn't helping matters any by traispsing around with practically nothing on.

Not that he had anything against women and pride for their figures, but the yellow ensemble that currently adorned her petite figure was just a little too much skin for his taste.

Noticing him eyeing her body, Faye smirked, immediately switching to a stance that showed off all of her curves and assets as she questioned coyly, "Are we going in, or not?"

Spike laughed loudly. "With you? No. With myself? Hell, yes."

"So then I suppose that you enjoy self-indulgences too?!," Faye suddenly spat in response amidst her intense outrage. "I doubt that you could ever even get with a woman to begin with, so you'd always have to refer to the self-service pump!"

Spike was absolutely astounded. Never in his life had he met a woman with such an attitude problem, and yet his lucky stars had now apprently fallen from the sky since he now felt himself standing knee-deep in a puddle of mud.

"So does this mean that it's true?," Faye continued to tease, immediately breaking him out of his troubled train of thought. "Maybe you could start a support group called Self-Indulgers Anonymous."

Spike opened his mouth to reply, only to be immediately cut off the moment that an orange blob suddenly ran smack-dab into his middle, thus knocking the air directly out of him for a brief moment.

Both Spike and Faye then looked down, only to see a little girl with flaming red hair, a peppy Welsh Corgi at her heels.

"Oops! Ed is sorry, Mr. Poof-Poof!," the child exclaimed, admiring Spike's unruly hair to a certain degree before backing away from him and embracing the small dog at her feet. "You've got to help Ed hide! Ed doesn't want to go to school, anymore!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "And who the hell is Ed, exactly?"

"ED is Ed!"

"Huh?"

"ED is ED!"

"You're Ed?"

"YES!"

Spike and Faye exchanged glances.

Exasperated, the girl seized the bewildered couple by the arms and began dragging them away from their beloved bar, explaining blithely, "Ed is sooo glad that she met Mr. Poof-Poof and Sleaze-lady, cuz now they can hide Ed from her father-person since he's trying to send Ed to school!"

"I'm afraid that we can't say the same about meeting you, Ed," Faye returned haughtily, still in a silent tirade over the whole 'Sleaze-lady' bit. "Why don't you want to go to school, anyway? It gives you something to do."

"Maybe the school doesn't want Ed....ever think of that?," Spike suggested, smirking at his own joke.

Ed, however, wasn't the least bit amused. "That's not funny, Mr. Poof-Poof. Ed's too smart for school, so Ed needs to get away. Will you help Ed?"

Faye, currently disbelieving the fact that a girl that spoke in 3rd person could be 'too smart' for anything, agreed submissively, "Alright, fine....you can come and live with me."

"Really?!"

She nodded.

"Faye, are you nuts?!," Spike hissed, doing a double-take. "What's Mao going to say about all of this?!"

Faye smirked. "Mao doesn't have to know."

**A/N: **Welp, that's it! Please tell me what you think!


	5. Reopening Old Wounds

**CH 5: Re-Opening Old Wounds**

**__**

_If you call, I will answer, and if you fall, I'll pick you up, and if you court this disaster, I'll point you home====_

_-Barenaked Ladies: "Call and Answer"_

"This is by far my greatest disguise, yet," Spike announced hubristically as Edward continued to bounce alongside Faye and himself. "After all, who would suspect two syndicate cronies to be a married couple with a child?"

"Hush, Spike...some one might hear you!," Faye chided irritably as they continued to amble along down the slightly crowded streets of Tharsis in a perfectly-formed line. "The last thing that I want is for my very first assignment to blow up in my face, and the mere fact that you hate my guts for some uncomprehensible reason is _not_ the least bit comforting to my already wary conscience!"

Spike smirked. "Now, now..._dear..._no need to bring the fact that I don't give a flying fuck as to what happens to you to all ears."

_"Wheeeee! Flying fuckety-fuck-fuck!"_

"Edward!," Faye exclaimed, staring down at the blissfully unaware child in absolute mortification.

"Oh, Spike, look what you _did!_ This makes me look like a bad parent!"

"Well there's no harm in that since I seriously doubt that you'd ever make a very good mother to begin with," he remarked dryly, only to further indulge himself in the dirty look that he was now receiving.

Giving him the very unladylike finger for good measure, Faye turned her nose up into the air in a desperate attempt to prove that she didn't really give a damn as to what he thought, only to immediately have someone seize her from behind by the wrist and spin her around until she was face-to-face with the gruff individual.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!," Spike demanded, hurriedly whirling around in order to find out what on earth was going on. _"What the **hell** do you_....oh. _Crap."_

The beefy man smirked, returning cockily, "Yeah, that's right, buddy. I'm a cop, so don't you be tryin' anything funny, alright?"

"But what do you-"

"You have the right to remain silent! That child, there, is Francoise Applederry, is she not?"

Spike drooped. "No, actually, that's Edward Wang Haw Pepsilu Tivranksy IV....looks like you've got the wrong girl."

"That is _not_ Ed's name!," the redhead exclaimed indignantly, only to immediately have Faye clamp a beautifully-manicured hand over her mouth in hopes of silencing her.

"Is that right, kid? Are you Applederry's daughter?," the policeman questioned hopefully, studying her with a cunning smile upon his lips. "If you tell me the truth, there's a lollipop in it for ya."

Edward clasped her hands with glee. "A lollipop? _Really?_ Yes sir, Mr. Copper-person, sir! Ed is Applederry's daughter, and Ed can prove it!"

Spike and Faye watched on in absolute horror as the aberrant child retrieved a book-like device from within the recesses of her light blue knapsack and opened it up, a hologram of a large, robust man instantly appearing out of seemingly nowhere as Edward continued to grin like a euphoric fool.

"Well, that's him, alright...she really _is_ his daughter," the policeman acknowledged, now turning his attention back towards Edward's 'parents'. "You two are under arrest for the kidnapping of Francoise Applederry. If you come quietly, I might actually try to lessen your stay in prison."

Faye blanched. _"What?!_ I'm too _young_ to go to prison! Take Spike, if you wish, but leave _me_ out of this!"

Spike snorted. "Well gee, thanks, Faye....always a pleasure to know someone who cares."

"Alright, you two, can it. If you'll all come with me right now, this will be over in no time," the policeman assured the disgruntled couple before clapping a pair of handcuffs over either of their wrists and pushing them abruptly in front of him. "If we make good time, I might actually get to go to the doughnut outlet before it closes, so I suggest that you three hurry along if you know what's good for ya!"

Spike drooped. "I thought that was just a sterotype."

_"Shut up."_

_88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888_

"You seem tense, my dear. Is something bothering you?"

Evelyn slowly shook her head, then cast her gaze down towards her steel-toed boots, insisting softly, "No, Mao Tajin....I apologize for my behavior. I'm just a little weary from my last assignment, I suppose."

Mao smiled, the leathery flesh of his pudgy face crinkling slightly as he leaned forward in his seat and beckoned her forward. "Come here, my child."

She obeyed, her heart heavy with the burdenous guilt that she carried within the depths of her soul as she felt her feet subconsciously carry her over to her mentor and place her directly before him.

Taking her pale, slender hands within his own tanned, leathery ones, Mao announced warmly, "You, Evey, are truly like the daughter that I neved had. After much deliberation, I have come to the decision that when I am to die you will be my immediate successor to the Red Dragons."

Evelyn gasped. "But sir! Surely you're making a mistake! I'm not fit to lead, let alone rule an entire _Chinese mafia!"_

_"Nonsense, _my dear," Mao admonished firmly, his dark, obsidian irises twinkling like fireflies as he gave her hands a gentle pat. "You're _exactly_ what we need to remain as successful as we have over the years."

"B-but Spike..." 

"He's far too lazy, child. Although he is an excellent specimen, he is far too brazen and conceited to think about what is best for our syndicate as a whole," Mao insisted before releasing her hands with a weary sigh. "I am growing older and older, and I want for _you_ to take my place. You are strong, cunning, wise beyond your years, and you would never betray me. For these reasons, alone, I have selected you as my finest choice. Surely you accept?"

Evelyn was far too shocked to speak. Never in her miserable life had Mao been so kind to her, and he surely realized this, as well. Their appointment in itself had seemed rather strange, come to think of it, but she had _never_ suspected this.

Before she could either accept or deny his offer, however, one of the security guards suddenly rushed within the room, exclaiming fearfully, "Sir! Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine have been arrested and are being held in the Tharsis City Jail!"

Mao frowned deeply. "Fetch me my comm. link at once."

_88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888_

It had been at least an hour since Spike and Faye had been placed within their cells, and neither of them were handling the situation very expertly, at all.

Faye, for instance, was suddenly overcome by the indelible desire for one of her cancer sticks, and the moment that she found out that she didn't have any left, she began to fear for her sanity almost immediately.

Spike, on the other hand, was contentedly smoking in the cell next to hers, the smug expression upon his face clearly revealing that he knew all too well what was troubling her.

They were both currently sitting back-to-back like in one of those old prison movies and, needless to say, the tension was killing a certain violet-haired vixen to the point of tears.

Hugging her knees to her chest like a lost, frightened child, Faye finally found that she had mustered up enough courage to ask what had been nagging her ever since Julia's murder, and decided to act upon it. Biting her lip, she hurriedly questioned in a soft, breathless whipser, "Why did you love her, Spike?"

He choked, his cigarette falling forth from between his lips and onto his lap with a subtle 'plop' as it suddenly occured to him as to what had just been asked. _"Excuse_ me?"

"What was Julia like?," Faye continued distantly. "I barely knew her, and yet I sensed that there was something very different about her that no other woman had. What was it?"

Spike snorted. "What makes you think that I was in love with her?"

"You _were!,"_ Faye insisted shrilly, her patience rapidly dissolving as she took in a sharp intake of air in order to calm her nerves. "I-I'd just like to know why, if you don't mind."

Spike closed his eyes, then opened them again, his heart constricting painfully within his chest as he found himself admitting with a tremendous reluctance, "She was what made me afraid to die, Faye. There's only one point in a man's life when he meets someone who makes him complete, and, sad to say, my time is already up. I never got to tell her how I truly felt, yet I think that she knew.

"When our eyes connected, I always felt at peace, b-but when I had to confirm her identity at the morgue, those cerulean blue orbs were lost, cold....._empty._

"I should have taken her away from here long ago so that we could've been truly happy. I knew that she didn't really love Vicious, and he, in turn, probably knew this, as well. But now that she's dead, I no longer fear death and its eternal void. In fact, it almost seems like a blessing in disguise. Is it crazy to feel this way?"

Faye shook her head. "No....of course not. Love is one of life's unexplained myseries, and yet, you seem to have a deep understanding of the emotion. Tell me, Spike....why did you _love_ her?"

"I...", he immediately trailed off.

What _did_ he love about her? 

Yes, she was beautiful, _yes,_ she was an intriguing phantasm, but what had he fallen in love with besides a pretty face?

Placing his chin within the palm of his hand, he shook his head, admitting brokenly, "I....I don't know."

Faye raised an eyebrow. "You don't _know?"_

_"NO!,"_ he hollered, a terrible rancor staining the sultry tremors of his voice as he slammed his fist down onto the concrete floor like a sledge hammer. "Are you happy now, Faye? You just proved to me that I might not even love Julia as much as I thought I did, so I guess that you're _reeeal_ excited, huh?! Is _that_ how you get your kicks? Through the internal suffering of _others?!"_

_"No!,"_ Faye rebuked sharply, immediately shooting up and to her feet within a sudden fit of untamed rage. "How could I enjoy others' suffering whenever _I've_ suffered just as much as the rest of them?! I don't even know who my own _parents _are, Spike! I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember, scrounging the streets for food and giving myself up for prostitution for just a little bit of money! But oh, _yes,_ Spike, I just _love_ it when people suffer!!!"

Spike blinked, his eyes widening in absolute astonishment as he turned to look over his shoulder, only to find Faye sobbing in her hands before dropping down to her knees in a state of absolute desolation.

"Faye...," he began anxiously, "Faye, _please._ I'm sorry, I just-"

"You couldn't _possibly_ understand what it's like," she whispered, hiccuping amidst her own sobs as she wiped away her mascara-stained tears in a feeble attempt to gain some sort of stability over her sudden breakdown. "I-I've never had someone to look up to....someone to _love_ me. The most endearing terms that I ever received in life were 'dollface', or 'toots'. What kind of a life is _that,_ Spike? _**Tell **me!!!"_

Spike didn't answer at first, his long, spindly legs quivering slightly once memories of his own childhood began to resurface.

_"No...,"_ he breathed, _"not now."_

Faye suddenly looked up at hearing this, questioning fearfully, "W-what did you say?"

"Evey and I were put up for prositution once we were sold into the Red Dragons by our 'loving' families," Spike mumbled as if he didn't even hear her question. "My early years were full of loose women, wild parties, strip clubs, booze....just about anything you can think of.

"Evey was my best and only friend before Vicious finally came along. He was cold, aloof...everything that the Red Dragons admired. Needless to say, he was taken in without further question by his 13th birthday.

"We all looked out for each other, cuz the way we saw it, we were in this life alone. I never really felt needed....cared for...._loved,_ even....until Julia came into my life like a life-bearing enchantress. She made me see this dichromatic world in color, and _God,_ it was, by far, the most beautiful sight that I have ever laid eyes on. I'm just sorry that the dream had to end so damn soon."

"I'm sorry, too," Faye admitted softly, trying her best to avoid eye contact.

Spike, however, was gazing at her intently, his voice soft and awed as he revealed aloud, "You know, you're the only one that I've ever told this to. It's kinda weird."

Faye smiled. "Same message."

Before Spike could open his mouth to reply, one of the security guards suddenly knocked on his cell bars with his billy stick, announcing sullenly, "Alright, you two, you're free to go....a Mr. Mao Yenrai's bailed ya out."

Spike sighed.

Somehow, he was not relieved.

A/N: Hey! Sorry that this was so boring, but I promise you that it WAS necessary! I also promise you that I have great stuff in store for this fic (at least I hope it will turn out great, lol) so PLEASE stay with me! Oh, and don't worry...Ed will STILL be in this! =P Kindly support me and REVIEW, please!!!! Luv ya bunches!

3 Kendra Luehr


	6. Dismissing Reality

**A/N: **Hey, all! Wow, it's been SOOOO long since I've updated, huh? :-P Wow, seriously, guys, my computer crashed 3 weeks ago, so, in the mean time, I've written 3 chapters for this fic, AND a new one!!! Look for that later on, ok??? It might even be up tomorrow, who knows! Anyways, please, please, PLEASE review!!! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**IIIIII ALL FLASHBACKS ARE IN ITALICS IIIIII**

CH 6

Evelyn sat out on the wrought-iron fire escape of her apartment perched over the city below very much like that of a bird of prey, her violet irises darkening due to the immense burden that she felt within her besmirched soul as she struck a match and lit a desperately-needed cancer stick between her full, blood-red lips.

"Evey?"

She looked up in utter astonishment due to hearing her name, a hand falling down delicately upon her shoulder before she realized whom it belonged to.

_ "Vicious."_

He smiled. "How are you feeling? I heard about your ordeal with Mao, yet you hardly look like you're jumping for joy."

"I'm not the 'jumping-for-joy' type," Evelyn returned shortly, her eyes closing as she deeply inhaled the precious nicotine from within the recesses of the paper lifesaver clamped firmly between her lips. "So is this why you really came? _To criticize me?"_

Vicious shrugged, then sat down beside her, insisting with a wistful distance within his deep monotone, "I care about you, Evey....surely you've come to realize that. What I came to tell you was that....well....I can't get you out of my mind, as incredibly lame as that sounds."

"Well you never _did_ exactly have a way with words," Evelyn teased, sending him a winning smile. "Remember when we first met? The very first thing that came out of your mouth was 'Are you the dame that's going to fix us the grub?' _Very_ flattering, by the way.....it's a shame that no one caught it on tape since it would've made _such_ a romantic movie."

Vicious rolled his eyes. "Oh, for God's sake, Evey! I'm trying to ask you to marry me, and I.....oh....._crap._ You just made me give away the punch-line."

Letting out an astounded squeal of delight, Evelyn hurriedly wrapped her arms about her silvery-haired lover's neck before exclaiming at the top of her lungs, "Well how on earth can I say no to _that_ terribly romantic proposal?! You've got yourself a bride, baby!"

"Oh, thank _God,"_ Vicious praised breathlessly into her hair, feeling a tremendous warmth once he realized that she would soon be forever his to love and to cherish for all time. Gently stroking her soft locks, he added apprehensively within her ear, "I was so sure that you were going to say no....you won't change your mind, will you?"

Evelyn was suddenly overcome by a tremendous wave of fear due to this question, her violet eyes widening as she asked with a slight twinge of unease, "You didn't ask me to be your wife just because of my promotion, did you?"

Vicious immediately shook his head. "No...never."

"Well good, cuz I declined Mao's offer," she returned softly, no longer having the heart to gaze into her stunned lover's sky blue eyes.

_ "What? _Are you _crazy,_ Evey?!," he exclaimed, clearly shocked beyond all words of absolute disbelief. "This could be the chance of a lifetime! Everything that you've ever _dreamed_ of!"

Evelyn snorted. "Yeah, _right._ I hate the syndicate, and you goddamn know it! I _hate_ Mao, I _hate_ Spike, I _hate-"_

_ "Me?,"_ Vicious supplied weakly.

Evelyn gasped, just now realizing the intensity of what she had just uttered.

Hurriedly taking his hands in hers, she gave him a tender glance, admonishing softly, "No, of course not, Vicious....I don't hate you _or_ Spike. I'm just confused about everything, I suppose. Ever since I've become a Red Dragon, I've found nothing but sorrow behind every door that life offers."

"I still wish that you'd reconsider Mao's offer....it could be what you've always wanted, yet you don't know it as of now," Vicious mumbled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Will you at least think about it....for _me?"_

Evelyn smiled warmly. "Alright...._for you."_

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"Wow...I never thought I'd see the day," Spike commented sarcastically, the precious cancer stick that was clamped firmly between his teeth bobbing up and down with every syllable that he happened to make. "I mean, _you? _Settling _down?_ What's this universe coming to?!"

Vicious snorted. "Shut up, Spiegel. I happen to care about Evey very much....is _that_ so surprising?"

"Yeah, actually, it is," Spike acknowledged frostily, his eyes searching his comrade's like two burning embers as he tried his damndest to figure out the obscurity of the whole situation at hand. "I mean, you claimed to love Julia unconditionally, yet I guess not _nearly_ enough to protect her from harm."

Vicious winced. "Cheap shot, Spike."

He sighed, then bowed his head. "I know.....I'm sorry. I just really miss her, is all."

"Well how do you think _I_ feel? I've been ridden with guilt ever since I watched her stagger all bloody and beaten out into the snow!," Vicious blurted, instantly regretting his words once they had escaped his lips.

Spike faltered. "W-_what? _You don't mean....?"

"Yes," Vicious returned solemnly, a steely glimmer reflecting within his cold irises, _"I_ killed her, Spike. _**I **_killed Julia."

Spike stood there within his comrade's apartment like a statue made of pure ice, all of his handsome features instantly distorting as he felt his entire world crash down around him in a sea of a million pieces.

_ "You sonofabitch,"_ he ground out, his hands tremulously curling into two shaking fists, "you _killed_ her! You _killed_ the woman I loved!"

Now it was Vicious' turn to freeze. _"You_ loved her? What about _me?!_ I didn't mean to kill her, you deceitful bastard! It was the fucking Bloody Eye! Yet it looks like that if I _hadn't_ taken it, you would've tried to take her away from me, anyway!"

"So what if I would have?," Spike demanded, his resolve rapidly ascending within the bowels of his tattered heart. "All I ever wanted was for Julia to be happy, and _now_ look! A beautiful angel has lost her wings because of you!"

Vicious frowned deeply. "Oh, cut the poetic shit, Spiegel! If you _really_ loved her, you would've let her do whatever the hell she felt like!"

"And if _you_ had loved her, you wouldn't have taken the Bloody Eye since she asked you time and time again to _stop!!!"_

The room immediately fell silent as a tomb upon Spike's powerful words, both friends staring one another down amidst their innermost ire as the atmosphere suddenly began to suffocate them within its iron-like grasp.

Finally unable to take the tension another moment longer, Spike demanded coldly, "Is this how it's gonna be between us from now on, then?"

"Fine with me," Vicious acknowledged, his eyes narrowing as he felt himself subconsciously reach for his revolver within his hip holster. "I only have one further request, however, and that's that you get the hell out of my apartment and never, _ever_ come back."

Spike gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, then nodded. "Very well....have a nice life. After it's all over, you'll be missing it once you're in Hell."

Vicious smirked. _"Likewise."_

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** (Yoko Kanno's "Waltz for Zizi" plays)**

_0000000_

_ "It's not very safe for a lady to be out alone on a night like this, you know."_

_ The young woman whom Spike had addressed smirked, then turned slightly to face him, asking coquettishly, "What, so you think I can't take care of myself? For the new guy, you're awful gung-ho about chivalry."_

_ "Well, I do what I can," Spike acknowledged, bestowing the apathetic young blonde with one of his bedazzling trademark grins as he joined her out on the bridge that overlooked one of the many famous Martian rivers. "What's your name, anyway? I didn't quite catch it."_

_ "It's Julia," she returned softly, bowing her head in his direction as her recognition. "And you're Spike Spiegel...._**_correct_**_?"__  
_

_ "One-hundred percent," he conceded, completely unable to resist leaning in a little closer towards the blonde succubus as the moonlight continued to illuminate her pale features in such an enchanting manner. "I hear that you're one of our tops dogs....does that mean that you can order me around?"_

_ Julia rolled her eyes. "Not by choice....Vicious managed to somehow convince the Van that I was worth being their heir. Personally, I despise this life since every where I turn there's a bodyguard hovering over me like some pesky little housefly, and yet....well....I guess I should be grateful to them. They _**_are_**_ looking out for me, after all. One day, however, I'd very much like to run away from this mini version of Hell and escape...._**_vanish_**_....never to be seen again except for by those that I love."_

_ "Sounds like quite a plan," Spike admitted, a wistful look immediately painting its way out across his handsome features like a beautiful watercolor in motion. "Think I could be apart of it?"__  
_

_ Julia smiled warmly. "Be my guest."_

_0000000_

Spike exhaled deeply, then leaned his forehead against the slick coolness of the bathtub wall, muttering painfully under his breath, _"Julia...._**_no_**_......."_

Cursing brusquely before switching the water off and hurriedly wrapping a towel about his toned waist, he then came to realize that he tended to brood over the lovely blonde angel the most whenever he was either alone or in the shower.

He couldn't help but hate her for it; she had officially ruined his life. And yet...he couldn't be mad at her, either, since her very essence had been snatched from her clutches in such a horrendously intemperate way.

Julia had never done a thing in her entire life to deserve to be a Red Dragon, lose her parents in a freak accident, be beaten and verbally abused by Vicious, and now, the final straw, brutally murdered outside of her own apartment.

The moment when that sweet angel had breathed her very last breath, Spike could have sworn that he had sensed it; it was almost as if they shared a psychic link that allowed him to feel her presence within the wind calling to him....beckoning him onward......

Oh, Julia. They name truly _is_ tragedy.

"Hey...can I come in?"

Spike stiffened upon hearing Evelyn's svelte voice, his already taut muscles tightening even more due to his utter aggravation over having been taken by surprise.

He was _never_ snuck up on.

_ Ever._

"What do you want?," he finally demanded, shocking both her and himself at the tremendous gravelly tone of his voice.

Rolling her shoulders back in order to appear much taller than she actually was, Evelyn then put on her typical "cut the crap or I'll kick you ass" look that scared even the bravest of men shitless.

Circling him like a lioness on the prowl, she announced rather sharply, "Faye tells me that you're brooding...._care to explain?"_

_ "No,"_ he answered shortly. "Care to get the hell out of my apartment?"

In one foul swoop, Evelyn struck him clear across the face, his head immediately swiveling to the side with a sickening pop due to the tremendous force of the blow.

Swearing brusquely under his breath, Spike cracked his neck in the opposite direction in order to release the other kinks that Evelyn had neglected to free, his voice rather dull and emotionless as he commented dryly, "Damn, Evey....I'd forgotten how frickin' strong you are."

She frowned, stubbornly folding her arms across her petite bosom. "Size doesn't matter, and you know it, Spikey-boy."

_ "Spikey-boy?_ God, you really _are_ a nut job!," Spike scoffed, laughing loudly at the prospect of his fiery-haired comrade locked away in a fully-padded insane asylum. "What do you _really_ want, Evey? I doubt that you seriously care enough about my well-being to actually come forth like this and ask."

"Well I'm _here,_ aren't I?," Evelyn demanded, considerably offended by this sudden accusation. "If I didn't care about you, Spike, I wouldn't have convinced Mao to take you in those many years ago!"

Spike stiffened. "And why the hell should I be grateful for _that?_ I didn't _want_ to be accepted, Evey. I was happy the way I was."

"But-"

_ "Drop it,"_ he growled, squaring his jaw as he reached for a desperately-needed cigarette upon a nearby counter. "If this is all you wanted to say, just get the fuck out."

_ "Very well,"_ she agreed coldly, "but if you ever feel the need to talk to somebody, don't come crawlin' to me....you're officially _dead_ to me, now, you cocky sonofabitch!!!"

Spike winced the moment that the fiery-haired vixen stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut tightly from abaft, a nearby picture on the wall immediately falling down off of its perch and onto the hardwood floor with an earth-shattering crash due to the tremendous force of the slam.

Cursing, Spike padded over to the scene of the accident and stooped down upon his haunches, his handsome features instantly hardening upon what he saw.

Vicious. Himself. Julia.

All laughing....all completely happy without a care in the world.

How long ago had that picture been taken, anyway?

Months? _Years?_ Did it really even matter, anymore?

Heaving a suppressful sigh, Spike reluctantly picked up the photograph and placed it onto a nearby table without even giving the broken glass on the floor a second glance.

He wasn't quite ready to clean up his past, yet.

**A/N:** Ok, I apologize if that was REALLY boring, but it has to be done! I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE that it's gonna get interesting, especially in the next 3 chapters! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 Kendra Luehr


	7. Bleeding Hearts

**A/N:** Hey, guys! This chapter has some graphic limey content, so you've been forewarned! PLEASE R&R, and of course...enjoy! ,

CH 7

_Sick and Tired of this world, there's no more air, trippin' over myself, goin' nowhere, waiting, suffocating, no direction, and I took a dive..._

_-Ryan Cabrera: "On the Way Down"_

Faye felt her knees begin to wobble due to the tremendous pressure wrought down upon her now enervated being, her breathing coming in quick, short gasps as she pushed with all her might against the opposing force, but to no avail.

She was trapped.

All alone.

In a cellar.

Faye had realized that the prospect of chasing down a young hooligan that had swiped her purse was terribly dangerous (not to mention foolish) from the very beginning, yet she was not the type of woman to just let anyone run off with all of her hard-earned woolongs.

So this is why, needless to say, with a heavy heart and a nice little shiner as a token for her stopping by, Faye was stuck under one-hundred pounds of empty dresser.

_ Joy._

Not that she wasn't a strong woman, or anything, but she currently had a rather serious impediment weighing her down. On his way out, the young man had stabbed her in the stomach.

_ Double joy._

Faye had always had the sickening feeling that she would die young, anyway, but not _this_ young; not here, not now.

She had way too much to live for....way too much that she had yet to experience.

Although it was highly doubtful that anyone would even mourn the death of a meretricious dancer, to begin with, Faye still felt that she had been placed in the universe for a reason, and whatever that reason was, she was fully determined to see it through to the most likely bitter and very unfruitful end.

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut amidst the searing pain, it was then that Faye realized how much she had actually been bleeding.

Lifting her glistening palm up in front of her pain-contorted face, she then scrunched up her features so that she could see the damage within the dimly lit room, instantly cursing upon witnessing the thick coating of scarlet oozing down along her quivering appendages.

_ Shit._

Allowing her head to flop back dispiritedly against the cement floor, Faye then decided to just accept death and get it over with.

After all, it had to come sooner or later, so why prolong the inevitable when you can just go ahead and get it out of the way, now?

_ Clop._

Faye held her breath.

_ Clop. Clop._

What _was_ that aggravating noise?

_ Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop._

It was then, at that very moment that Faye found herself gazing up disdainfully into a pair of highly amused garnet orbs, the owner's ridiculously over-sized feet now the apparent source of the mysterious _'clopping'._

Letting out an appreciative whistle, Spike then dropped down upon his haunches and surveyed the damage, shaking his head before finally commenting in a sickeningly halcyon tone, "Jesus, Faye...you sure did a number on yourself, this time. What were you trying to do, rob the guy of his _clothes?"_

"Oh, ha, _ha,"_ Faye returned sarcastically, immediately beginning to wriggle about with the desperate hope of freeing herself from her seemingly insurmountable oppression. Seeing that he was making no sudden move to help her, she ordered hotly, "Quit standing there like an anorexic twit and get me out of here, Spike! I'm bleeding _badly!"_

He paled. "You are?"

_ "Yes,_ you dumb ass! Isn't it obvious that I'm in _pain?!,"_ Faye wailed, suddenly wishing that she had a gun to shoot her dimwitted comrade with. "Oh, come on, Spike! Will you _please_ quit staring at me like some simpering fool and get this goddamned dresser _OFF_ of me?!!"

Letting out a heavy "if I have to" sigh, Spike grudgingly dropped down to his knees and wedged himself in-between the dresser and the floor, Faye letting out a relieved gasp of air once he finally lifted it up and to its rightful position with the type of finesse that only he could conjure.

"There...done," Spike announced, moving over to his comrade to inspect her wound before she could stop him. "Holy shit, Faye....you really _are_ a mess!"

_"Don't touch me,"_ she warned, her eyes narrowing dangerously into two tiny jade slits the moment that her comrade's nimble fingers gingerly slipped down over her abdomen in order to test the fairly deep gash for infection.

Faye bit her tongue in order to prevent an impassioned moan from escaping her full, pouty lips due to his ridiculously enticing touch, her mind immediately whirling with a maelstrom of naughty, prurient thoughts as she then realized that she had been without a man too long. _Way_ too long; especially since she was actually considering the traumatizing prospect of giving in to her lust with Spike, of all people.

After a few more terrifying moments of debating this, however, Faye immediately pushed his hand away in utter contempt, warning in a malicious tone barely above a whisper, "If you touch me _one more time,_ Spike Spiegel, I will see to it that all of your fingers get removed so that you won't be able to jack-off, anymore!"

He smirked. "Why? It's a natural thing, after all....it's not like I jerk-off over _you,_ or anything."

"Well I should hope not!," Faye seethed, no longer able to prevent the rosy blush from rapidly forming along her cheeks as she found herself gradually drawing away from him. "If you _did, _I'd personally tell Mao to chop of 'Mr. Happy' so that you could never perform such lewd, indecent acts, _again!"_

Spike shook his head in slight agitation, then took her by the arm, urging in a much gentler tone than usual, "Come on....let's get you back to headquarters so that we can get you all patched up. You're no use to us if you're incapacitated, you know."

Faye suddenly found no feasible excuse to resist his orders, her desire for a brief coupling now slightly (and thankfully) diminished as she allowed him to lift her up into the comfort of his arms and carry her out of the musty apartment and back into the outside world.

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"It's a very good thing that Spike found you when you did....if he hadn't, I betcha a million woolongs that you'd be dead, right now."

Faye winced as Evelyn continued to stitch her knife wound shut with a fish hook needle and black thread, her soft jade eyes wandering curiously over her fiery-haired comrade's determined countenance as she found herself wondering how on earth this woman had ever become a Red Dragon, to begin with.

Sure, she was strong, yet Evelyn somehow seemed different from the others; almost as if she actually still had a soul within her hollow shell of a body.

"OUCH!"

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry!," Evelyn apologized, frantically applying pressure to the area of the wound that she had accidentally ripped back open. "Jeez, I must've been daydreaming about Vicious again, is all. We _are_ getting married, you know."

Faye smiled warmly. "So I've heard....everyone's talking about it. They say that they can't believe that anyone could ever fall in love with Vicious since his manner is as bitter as poison and twice as deadly."

"Hmph, well they can all go to hell! They don't know Vicious like I do!," Evelyn defended irritably, tying the knot to Faye's stitches a little harder than originally anticipated. "You believe that I'm doing the right thing, don't you? You _do_ think that we're a suitable match, right?"

Faye slowly sat up on the cot that she was lying upon, then nodded, agreeing laconically, "The heart wants what it wants. It's far too late to make amends."

Evelyn let out a bitter laugh. "In this life, _everything's_ to late to fix. Once you're in, there's no way out....Mao sees to that. If you keep staying here, you'll feel dead inside, too, and I don't _want_ that to happen to you, Faye. I'm warning you now...get out while you still have the chance."

"Not without you and the others," Faye insisted forcefully, her tenacious facade completely unwavering.

Evelyn noticed this and sighed deeply. "I shouldn't have said anything....planning an escape with more than one person is suicide! Please just forget about what I said, Faye...._please!"_

"Consider it forgotten, then," Faye ordered, stubbornly folding her arms before crossing her long, slender legs with a touch of finality. "You know where I stand, so no amount of cajoling will get me to feel otherwise."

Evelyn bowed her head, then nodded grimly. She knew then that she had made a gravely terrible mistake.

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_"What are you doing in my room?"_

The tone was gruff and terribly thunderous, Faye's slender figure now tremulating like a leaf caught in an updraft as she clutched the stolen pack of cigarettes to her breast and heaved a shaky sigh.

"Spike," she finally managed to choke out, "you're back, early."

_ "What_ are you doing in my _room?,"_ he reiterated coolly, completely ignoring her petty remark, altogether as he shut the door behind him with a loud, and final click.

"I...," Faye faltered.

She immediately came to realize that she no longer had anywhere to go and began to panic, her resolve rapidly crumbling beneath her and sending her body straight back into a sense of sheer trepidation.

Fumbling with the pack of cancer sticks within her taught grasp, she miraculously managed to recover smoothly, "I needed some smokes....figured you wouldn't mind, but I guess I was wrong."

"Damn straight, you were wrong! That's my own personal property!," Spike growled, a menacing scowl now upon his thin lips as he ripped his cheap blue suit jacket off of his lanky form and tossed it over upon the small yellow arm chair by the door within a moment of sheer outrage. Noticing her cowering before him, he added irascibly, "I may have been pretty nice to you lately, Faye, but that does _not_ mean that I gave you the right to come waltzing into my apartment any time that you please! I felt sorry for you, _ok?!_ **_Nothing _**_more!!!"_

Faye opened her mouth to speak, then immediately closed it, her heart leaping up within the recesses of her throat as she then realized, to her utmost horror, that Spike was absolutely beautiful when he was angry.

And not just beautiful, either; he was _gorgeous._

She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time for having such a terribly ridiculous idea, yet she could do neither.

Spike's heaving chest and powerful, glittering eyes were enough to send her tearing off his clothes in an instant, yet she could never find it in herself to destroy her pride.

_Ever._

"Faye?"

She looked up.

"Why are you still here? I thought I told you to leave!"

She stiffened, then clenched and unclenched her fists by her sides, surprising even herself as she ground out coolly, _"Make me."_

Spike was absolutely miffed. "What the _hell_ did you just say?!"

"I said _no,"_ Faye returned crisply, her courage rapidly ascending as she held her head high and smirked. "If you have a problem with my stealing your cigarettes, Spike, I highly suggest that you make me leave by force, cuz it's the _only_ way that I'll get out!"

_ "Don't suggest things that you'll soon regret,"_ Spike warned, backing the vixen up into a corner before she could even collect her wits.

Immediately looking away from his soulful eyes, Faye found that she was no longer the brave bad-ass that she had started off as. Instead, she was now a cowardly yelp shaking in her gaudy white boots, forever trapped and stripped of her rapidly fleeting dignity.

_ "Get away from me,"_ she growled, only to let out a cry once Spike seized her by the wrist and wrenched her to his chest in one fluid motion. "OW! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

He smirked. "Why, making you leave, of course. If you come quietly, I might even let you go without much pain involved."

"Hmph...it doesn't surprise me that you're being such a prick, Spike. You never _were_ too good with wooing the ladies by means of flattery," Faye seethed in response, immediately stifling a cry of sheer outrage as she felt her comrade tighten his grip about her wrist to a terrifyingly torturous degree.

_ "Don't make me hurt you, Faye,"_ Spike warned, the gruff tone of his voice sending shivers of sensuality squiggling down her spine in a single burst of untamed heat. "You _know_ that I can _and_ will."

She smirked, then shook her head confidently. "You could never! If you harmed me in any way, the Van would have you punished...._especially_ Mao."

"I don't _care_ about them! I just..."

Spike froze.

The vixen's torturously silken hand was currently sliding down along his well-toned chest and abs, only pausing briefly before making the daring plunge within the recesses of his pants.

_ "Faye,"_ he half-moaned, half-ground out, _"what are you _**_doing_**_?"_

She gave him a blunt squeeze in response, both shuddering due to the sudden inexplicably raw contact. It was far too early and too soon for such actions, and they both knew it.

With each purposeful stroke from Faye's silken fingers, a new pang of nausea overtook Spike's insides with a fiery sickness unlike any that he had ever experienced before.

The moment when Faye began to use her free hand to unbutton his shirt, bile rose within the back of his throat like a corrosive poison, his heart constricting painfully once he realized that he was betraying Julia by allowing the vixen to touch him so intimately.

And yet....why could he not push her away?

In all honesty, Faye was merely doing this with the sole hope of escaping and, being the incredibly naive girl that she was, she had completely forgotten that Spike was unlike any other man that she had ever met; these tricks would not work on him so easily.

Even though Faye was a seductress by heart, she was by no means immune to the nauseous pangs of her own.

She hated Spike with every living fiber of her being, so it most certainly did not help the fact that she was within a hair's breadth of having a one-night-stand with the guy.

Fighting back a disgusted gag, Faye then wrapped her pouty lips about Spike's nipple and began to nip and tease the slightly aggravated flesh, a heated sigh escaping her counterpart's lips before he leaned his forehead against the coolness of the wall and moaned deeply.

The raw, gravelly tone of Spike's vocalized lust surprised both Faye and himself just as equally, the vixen closing her eyes once she felt her comrade begin to pump through the loose grasp that her fingers provided with a new type of purpose.

He needed release. He needed to be taken to the edge of his fears and escape them all with one single drive of stamina, even if that meant using Faye as the outlet to all of his inner frustrations in the process.

_ "Oh, God,"_ Spike ground out, immediately seizing Faye by the hips once he felt the indelible pressure within his loins, his desire exploding all across her stomach and breasts in a single arc of liquid fire before he leaned heavily into her chest and moaned deeply. _"Faye...oh..."_

Upon hearing her name being shouted with such a lustful carnality, Faye couldn't help but blush, a barely audible squeak escaping her lips once she felt Spike's strong fingers begin to gently massage the wetness that was rapidly divulging between her legs.

_ Shit._

_ She_ was the one in charge, here! Why was he trying to deny her of the upper-hand?!

Oh...right. Because he _could._

Squirming amidst Spike's touch like the pitiful siren that she was, Faye couldn't help but moan once his amazing fingers slipped past the flimsy barrier of her hot pants and rubbed against her sensitive nub, her hips instinctively bucking against his own once he pushed deep within her and smugly forced her to ride the girth of his knuckles.

"Mmph..._Spike!,"_ she screamed, truly seeing stars as his digits continued to skillfully pump in and out of her moist womanhood with the type of expertise that only he could provide.

_ "Wider,"_ he commanded, his tone gruff and tainted by lust,_ "if you don't, I'll just go ahead and leave."_

Faye weakly complied, her strength now surprisingly gone along with her gelatin-like knees as Spike continued to pound into her with all that he had.

And his lips...._oh,_ how she wanted to kiss them.

Every now and then they would brush over the crook of her neck or the swell of her ample breasts, yet they would never touch her where she truly wanted to be touched.

To Faye, sharing a kiss meant love, and love was most certainly something that her heart very much desired.

Lolling her head back against the wall, Faye then let out a pleasured gasp once she felt her release coming on at full force, her slick canal immediately contracting about Spike's digits at a maddening speed and coating them with her sweet love nectar before she limply fell forward into his arms and moaned.

Gingerly removing his fingers from her swollen womanhood, Spike then withdrew a desperately-needed cigarette from his breast pocket and brought it up to his lips, his two-toned irises only scrutinizing his counterpart for a brief second before offering her one, as well.

"'Bout time," Faye commented, smirking once she realized the irony of the situation as she finally retrieved the prize that she had been searching for all along. "Got a light?"

Spike lazily lit his own cancer stick, then offered her his Zippo in response, his eyes closing in utter rapture before he leaned back against the wall and exhaled deeply. "This never happened, Faye. _Got it?"_

Faye was clearly taken aback, yet she removed her cigarette from her rosy lips and nodded. "Yeah, sure....whatever. Just consider it a dream, or something."

_ "Nightmare,"_ Spike corrected, shaking his head before moving over to his bed and unceremoniously flopping down upon it. "You can leave now, you know. You finally got your damned cigarettes."

"Yeah," Faye agreed, her heart bleeding while she upheld her cheerful facade on the outside and smiled a tired, bitter smile. "I'll, um...see you later, then."

Spike shrugged. "Yeah, whatever."

Trying her damndest to bandage up her wounded pride, Faye then placed her cigarette back between her lips and held her head up high, the sonorous clip-clopping of her boots reflecting the hollowness within her heart as she opened up the door and shakily made her return back into the safety of the outside world.

**A/N:** Heeey! So, uh...was that any good? ::laughs nervously:: Things will start to get interesting from here on out, so PLEASE review!!! PLEASE??? I only got 4 reviews, last time! ::sniffles:: But I loved them! lol

Kendra Luehr


	8. Ava

**A/N:** Hey! Thanks SO much to my THREE reviewers that have actually been awesome enough to continue reading!!!

**NOTE:** I'm hoping that you guys will actually continue to read this after this chapter, because I promise you that things will get pretty interesting from here on out. Yay! It's about time, right??? LoL PLEASE, for all that is holy, R&R!!!!!

CH 8

"How is she, doctor?"

"She's doing quite well, actually…she's a _very_ lovely specimen. Don't you agree, Travers?"

The young man that had been addressed humbly bowed his head, then nodded. "Yes, sir, Mr. Onaga….she's _really_ beautiful. I-I can't believe that I actually found her alive since she was all bloody and left out in the streets to die. I guess nobody wanted to claim the poor thing."

"Hmm, yes…a terrible pity for such a young girl," Dr. Onaga agreed, briefly checking the young woman's pulse before returning to the monitors by her bedside. "When she wakes up, we'll finally be able to see if her eyes match the beauty of her face…and possibly learn of her name and origin, as well."

Travers smiled. "I don't doubt her beauty for a minute, doctor. Blondes are like angels fallen from Heaven, and this one is most certainly no exception to that rule."

Nodding as his unspoken agreement, Dr. Onaga returned the young man's smile, only to be immediately called to attention once his patient made a soft, muffled moan within the sanction of her bed.

Hurriedly rushing over to her side, he questioned breathlessly, "Miss…a-are you feeling alright?"

The blonde scrunched up her face in confusion, then shook her head. "I-I don't know….where am I? Was I in some sort of accident?"

"Well, uh…"

"I found you," Travers hurriedly cut in, beaming like a fool upon realizing that the radiant enchantress' eyes were a heavenly blue. "I was hoping that maybe you could possibly give me your name or someone to contact to let them know that you're being hospitalized."

Once again, the blonde appeared to be completely baffled. "My…._name?,"_ she repeated, giving him a dazed look. "I…I can't seem to remember….."

"Oh, uh…no need to over-exert yourself, my dear," Dr. Onaga hastily added, "yet we do very much hope that you'll regain your memory in the near future. As of now, however, you will be addressed as Ava…._sound good?"_

The blonde nodded meekly. Did she really even have any other choice? She knew deep-down that Ava was _completely_ off from her actual name, yet she harbored no complaints. Ava was, after all, a very pretty name and suited her just fine for the time being as her surrogate title.

Turning in order to speak to Travers in private, Dr. Onaga asked in a hushed, raspy voice, "Where did you say you found her, again?"

"In Red Dragon territory….out in front of the Auburn Skies Apartment Complex. _Why?,"_ the young man demanded, truly not seeing why this information would have any significance to the situation at hand.

Instantly realizing this, Dr. Onaga rolled his eyes, then handed Travers his comm. link, urging in a gruff, crisp voice, "Call 'em up….we're going over for a little visit on behalf of Miss Ava."

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It didn't take very long for Ava to find the small mirror hanging beside the bathroom door; she had been hunting for some sort of identity from the very beginning. Getting over there, however, is what proved to be the true challenge.

Thanks entirely to her brief coma, her flaccid legs had nearly gone to mush, so, as she pitifully hobbled on over towards her destination, Ava couldn't help but curse the fools that had had the brilliant idea of putting a damned mirror all the way over in what appeared to be a modern 'no man's land'.

Panting and gasping for breath due to her sudden over-exertion, Ava then hauled herself up to as tall as she could possibly stand and peered curiously into her reflection, only to find a just as curious blonde staring right back.

Oh, how _pale_ she was! Just the sight of her sunken, pallid cheeks made Ava weak with nausea, yet she found that she could somehow not bring herself to look away from the desiccated scabs and dried blood upon her surprisingly demure countenance. Perhaps her accident had involved a struggle of some sort? No…she most certainly hoped not.

As Ava continued to admire her reflection, she soon decided that she was, indeed beautiful like the doctor had claimed. It was a sad, tragic sort of beauty, yet beauty, nonetheless.

She had been hoping for a revelation upon seeing her own reflection, yet her memory was still just as fuzzy as it had been ever since she woke up three hours ago.

Was she ever going to remember who she was? And if she did, would she be glad and relieved or regret it with every living fiber of her being?

"Miss Ava?"

She immediately looked up. "Oh…Dr. Onaga…."

"You should be in bed. Here…let me help you," he urged, his face a shroud of sheer solemnity as he approached her and gingerly took her by the arm.

Ava took an immediate notice to his strange behavior and frowned, demanding fearfully, "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Dr. Onaga sighed deeply in resignation, then reached over and gently squeezed her hand in response. "Where would you like for me to begin?"

Ava frowned. "Why don't we try the very beginning?"

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"So who's _this_ tramp?"

"Says her name's Darla Grisholm…I think she's lyin' through her pretty 'lil teeth."

"No, I'm not….I _swear!,"_ Darla wailed, cowering in fear before the mysterious group of men that had cornered her by her car in the strip club parking lot. "Please….I-I'll give you anything! Just let me go!"

The goon in blue, who appeared to be the leader, merely smirked. "Now how many times have I heard _that_ lame-ass excuse?," he scoffed, shaking his head as his lackeys followed suit in his laughter. "My bud here says that you wouldn't give him a lap dance…care to fill me in on that?"

Darla paled, then placed her trembling hands over her head as protection before weeping in response, "I was off my shift! Th-the rules specifically state that after my assigned working hours I don't have to perform any sexual and or customer-related requests!"

'Blue' frowned deeply. "I don't think you understand the severity of the situation, toots. Do _you,_ boys?"

'Yellow', 'Red', 'Green', 'Orange', and 'Purple' all shook their heads in response, occasionally caressing the brass knuckles that adorned their hands with the obvious intention of intimidation. With one as easily frightened as Darla, however, they all knew very well that they would instantly succeed.

Bestowing the mossy-haired young woman with a cruel and callus smile, 'Blue' seized her by a fistful of her soft, wavy locks before yanking her up and off of her knees and to her feet, Darla squealing like a pitiful kitten as he drew her in close and flicked a tiny switchblade out and pressed it firmly beneath her svelte chin.

"I'll give you _two_ options," he began coldly, "one, you can be a good little bitch and give the man what he wants, or two, I can peel the flesh from your bones…._piece_ by _piece."_

To further stress his point, he slid the blade down lightly along the column of her throat to the point that he drew blood, Darla whimpering like a blubbering fool once she realized that she was most likely going to die.

She knew that going for the good 'ol 'nutcracker' was an _extremely_ bad move since there were five other men surrounding them, not to mention the mere fact that she had heard by word of mouth that the notorious Black Scorpions were in town in search of their dreaded rivals, the Red Dragons.

Guess they just happened to find her, instead.

_Joy._

"Time's up, bitch! _Decide!"_

Oh, right…._that._

Giving the treacherous snake before her a defiant glare, Darla abruptly spat in his face with a newfound courage, hissing at the top of her lungs, "You can take my clothes and my money, but you _can't_ take the last of my dignity! I'd rather _die_ than give pleasure to scum of the earth like you!"

"Well you heard her, boys," 'Blue', acknowledged, cracking a small smile as he wiped the warm saliva from his cheek without so much as a grimace. _"Let the fun and games begin."_

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"Did you hear that?"

Faye yawned. "Hear what?"

_"That,"_ Evelyn clarified, straining her ears as she tried her damndest to comprehend what on earth was going on outside. "You wanna go check it out?"

Faye smiled as she continued to file her perfect red nails, then finally shook her head. "Nope…I'd much rather stay here. After a day full of interrogation from that doc, all I'm thinking about is a nice little night cap before retiring for the evening."

Evelyn frowned deeply with suspicion. "Who was he, anyway? I wasn't questioned."

"I dunno….someone calling on behalf of a 'Miss Ava'. She had apparently been found bleeding to death outside of our apartments, but that doesn't ring a bell. The only one that we found out there was-"

_"Julia…,"_ Evelyn finished, her eyes wide with an unspoken fear.

"Well yeah, but she's dead…._remember?_ I seriously don't think it's the same woman; just a big coincidence," Faye insisted, much to her friend's utter dismay. "Besides, don't you have some noise to investigate right about now?"

"Hmph…I _suppose,_ seeing how you're so damned anxious to get rid of me," Evelyn acknowledged, smirking as she pocketed a small firearm and switchblade within the recesses of her black trench coat before crossing over across the room and to the door. "If it sounds like I'm in any sort of danger, let me be. I know what I'm doing."

"But-"

"Better one dead than two, right? Besides," she continued, winking, "I'm a woman, and if whatever's out there is a man, his ass is _mine."_

Faye smiled, but it never reached her eyes. She had a terribly bad feeling about all of this, and wasn't a woman intuition always right?

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Spike stiffened upon hearing the loud _'bang'_ in the back of the apartment complex, his brow furrowing slightly once he tossed his half-used cigarette off to the side and pushed himself off of the brick wall to the main entrance.

What he had heard was most definitely a gun, yet there had been no raids scheduled for this evening.

Something was definitely wrong.

Slipping his long, slender fingers about the handle of his Jericho for a sense of added assurance, Spike began to dash along the side of the apartment complex as fast as his long legs would carry him, his brow beading profusely with perspiration due to the tremendous fear of what he might find.

Perhaps Faye had gotten herself into trouble, again? Oh, God, just the very thought of having to save her ass nauseated the hell out of him. If he found her, he automatically decided that he would just let her fight her battle by _herself_, for a change.

Suddenly tripping over his own two feet, Spike staggered over and fell heavily against the brick siding of the apartment complex, his heart practically beating out of his chest once he realized that if he were to take another step, he would finally discover the source of the mysterious _'bang'._

Swallowing, Spike anxiously withdrew his Jericho from within his coat pocket, then leapt out from behind the aegis of the brick wall. Blinking like a fool, he soon came to realize that he was staring back at absolutely nothing.

"Dammit," he cursed, thrusting his firearm back within his hip holster in utter agitation before finally coming to realize that there _was_ something there, but a very small something.

Blindly staggering forward, Spike fell to his knees amidst a large snow bank that was completely saturated with what appeared to be copious splotches of blood, his fingers trembling as he reached out for a tiny piece of paper lying amidst the terrible stains of death and destruction.

Bringing it up with shaking hands, he then parted his trembling lips and read, "We've got the redheaded minx. If you ever want your Red Dragon back, we highly suggest that you give us 10 million woolongs by midnight tomorrow evening. This is not negotiable; the money for the girl.

_-Black Scorpions_

Spike let out a garbled cry upon seeing the Black Scorpion insignia on the upper-hand corner of the ransom note, his mind reeling amidst his blinded rage as he crumpled up the note within his hand and bowed his head forward in utter despair.

They had stolen his dear, beloved friend Evelyn, whom he secretly thought of as a sister, and for _that_ they would pay with their smarmy, completely undeserving lives.

**NOTE:** Okay, if any of this is confusing you (it moves a tad fast, I know) I'll try my best to explain. The Black Scorpions are in town (obviously) so, knowing that their rivals are nearby, they automatically want to wreak all havoc everywhere they can, thus why they stirred trouble with Darla at the strip club and, the final straw, kidnapped Evelyn. And I'm sure we can all guess who that darn blonde is, hahahaha. Don't worry, though, this is a SxF, so be happy! This fic is coming to an end, so I hope to finish sometime after Christmas. Again, I whole-heartedly thank the few people that have stayed with me throughout this story…love ya! 


	9. A New Type of Desperation

**A/N:** Wow! I apologize for taking SO long (I don't own Cowboy Bebop ), but I had tremendous writer's block! The same goes for all of my other fics, I'm afraid… Yet no matter, fore here's CH 9!

**RECAP OF CH 8:** A mysterious blonde woman dubbed 'Ava' has awoken in the hospital, Faye's best friend Darla has been murdered, and Evelyn has been kidnapped. Hope that helps. :-P

**CH 9: A New Type of Desperation**

"What do you _mean,_ we can't go after her? She like your own flesh and blood!"

"How _dare_ you come into my own office and talk to me this way? I should have you taken down to the holding cells, right now!", Mao barked, his dark coal eyes flashing dangerously as his silvery-haired pupil continued to draw near him. "Cease your ridiculous mind games and come clean with me, Vicious! What do you _possibly_ hope to achieve by giving the Black Scorpions ten million woolongs? Once they receive the money, they'll realize that they could always kidnap somebody else and get more!"

Vicious snorted. "That is a risk that I am completely willing to take."

"Well _I_ am not! The Red Dragons are _my_ people..._not_ yours! Surely I don't have to tell you that!", Mao thundered, appearing to be considerably flustered. Loosening his grip about the glass of brandy within his hand, he then continued in a much softer, gentler tone, "When you have wised up and come to your senses, you may return. Until that moment, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Vicious firmly shook his head. _"No."_

_"What did you just say?"_

"I said _no!",_ he growled, now towering over his master with the blatant intention of full-out intimidation. "The woman that you're allowing to die is my fiancée, Mao!", he exclaimed, his cheeks growing redder and redder by the moment. "If you allow her to die, I swear upon my mother's grave that I will personally hunt you down and kill you!"

Mao stiffened. "Do you _really_ think that you're in any position to be threatening me, Vicious? I _am,_ after all, the man whom is to be deciding young Evelyn's fate."

"Then you'll pay the money?", Vicious questioned in a tired, strained voice.

Mao smirked. "We shall see, my boy...we shall see."

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"I am here, Mao...what's it gonna be?"

The elder glared back at the leader of the Black Scorpions, returning menacingly in response, "If that were the situation, Obuko, you would be here before me right now, face-to-face!"

The flaxen-haired man merely smirked. "Oh? I don't believe so...you see, I _am _the one with your Dragon, am I not?"

"Don't toy with me!", Mao growled, slamming his fist down onto his desk and rattling his vid phone in the process. "You called with a proposition, so I am answering...there will _be_ no trade! Our money doesn't belong in the filthy hands of your kind!"

Obuko's grin dropped like a limp worm, his eyes fiery and full of utter contempt as he spat, _"Fine!_ Have it _your_ way, Yenrai! _Flagston!"_ He motioned toward a henchman standing in the corner. "Bring in the girl!"

Mao watched on in horror as the fair Evelyn was brought out into the room like a dog in chains, her violet eyes locking with his own and reflecting her typical stubborn resolve that made her such a promising leader.

"Evey...", he whispered, subconsciously trembling as Obuko forced her down and onto her knees before him, something cold and glittering now within his large and calloused hand.

_An axe._

"What the devil do you think you're doing?", Mao demanded, shooting up from his desk within a moment of absolute panic. "If you harm her, so help me God..."

"What?", Obuko demanded, the cold glimmer within his steely eyes only intensifying once he ran his thumb along the sharp edge of the axe. "You've already failed to hand over the money, so you've given me no choice. This is _your_ fault, Mao, not mine...I have already given you a chance, yet you failed to act upon it."

"Obuko, _please,"_ Mao begged, by this point beyond desperate, "let's come to some sort of agreement, here...just _spare_ Miss Faulkner!"

Obuko didn't even dignify his plea with a response, a sadistic smirk now upon his thin lips as he placed a black sack over Evelyn's head and double-checked the security of her shackles, making sure that there was absolutely no possible way of her escaping.

Raising the glittering axe forebodingly above his head, the flaxen-haired man declared exultantly, "This is the beginning of the end for you, Mao, starting with this fiery-haired beauty!"

Mao gasped. "NO! _Damn_ you!"

Upon bring the axe down, the vid phone screen suddenly turned pitch black, the old Dragon clutching at his heart once he realized, to his utmost despair, that his only daughter figure was now gone.

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Vicious felt completely alienated as he knelt down before the altar of St. Mary's Church, his mind reeling a mile a minute with a maelstrom of nagging, yet completely logical thoughts.

_"Why am I here?",_ he wondered miserably. _"I don't believe in God, and yet..._**_no_**_, it's for Evey... But _**_why_**_? What good will praying do? I'm here kneeling when I could actually be out there saving her!"_

Cursing, Vicious squeezed his eyes tightly closed and struck his fist against his thigh, his shoulders heaving along with his ragged breathing once he realized, to his utmost astonishment, that he really _was_ capable of loving another being. Evelyn was the very proof of that fact.

Rising to his feet as if the soft red carpet beneath his knees were burning him, Vicious glanced upon the large bronze cross above the altar, suddenly finding within his heart a new glimmer of hope.

_"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name...",_ he recited weakly, reflecting back to all the times his mother had sat him down to read the Bible. That is, before she had died... _"...Thy kingdom come, th-thy will be done..."_ He couldn't finish.

Dropping down and to his knees, Vicious threw his hands over his eyes and began to weep, visions of his sweet angel dancing before his eyes in a tempting illusion of true beauty.

_"Oh, Evey...",_ he sobbed.

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Spike frowned deeply as he continued to load his firearms with rounds of ammunition and bedeck the inside of his trench coat with grenades; he was beyond miffed. Those Black Scorpion slags would pay for what they had done to his beloved Evelyn, and dearly, at that.

The two had been through so much together as children: scraped knees, their first firearms training session, losing their virginity (not to one another, of course); hell, it was all far too much for Spike to bear. First Julia, and now the only sister figure he had. And Faye...

He closed his eyes.

The vixen had been a Godsend to him as of late, and he hated to admit such a thing. Ever since she had found out about Evelyn, she had been at his side and giving him words of encouragement.

Normally Spike would find all of this to be terribly unnerving, yet somehow Faye made it all seem and feel _so_ right. Not only that, but he had grown rather partial to the violet-haired beauty as of late. The past few nights they had been staying up 'til the crack of dawn, discussing brief portions of their pasts and their wildest, most unheard of secrets.

Spike, of course, found this all to be terribly relaxing since he had so much weight to get off of his chest; every word he breathed made his body feel as if it were becoming lighter and lighter.

The one thing he had failed to confess, however, was how he had wronged Faye. He felt like crap for treating her so terribly, and their intimate encounter had only made things worse for his emotions. The true man in him wanted her like mad, yet his mind and soul was still stuck with the golden-haired, blue-eyed goddess from above.

_Oh,_ how he missed her...

_"Mr. Spiegel?"_

Spike stiffened. Someone was at the door...

Abandoning his weaponry in order to intercept the rather obnoxious caller, the mossy-haired young man felt his feet trip one over the other until he had finally reached his destination and opened the door.

Gasping, Spike couldn't help but choke upon seeing the dignified doctor and his angelic patient there before him.

"No, it _can't_ be!", he gasped. _"Julia..."_

**A/N: **DUN DUN DUN! Haha, I can just SEE your faces right now….sorry! But don't worry, it's a happy—erm—as happy as happy can get in this scenario ending! Hope you've enjoyed, so if you did, please do me a favor by REVIEWING! I don't know whether you want me to continue or not if you don't! 


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